Save Me
by ragdollsally13
Summary: Ryou always knew Seto Kaiba wasn't as heartless as he seemed. He just didn't know how true that was...yaoi shonen-ai SetoRyou Complete
1. Default Chapter

Okay the title will make more sense in the future. This is my first time posting so, yeah... Anyways, I know it sucks right now, but bear with me for right now, please. Ummm, yeah, I think that's it...   
  
Dedicated to treana! Yeah, I wouldn't even be posting right now if it wasn't for her (so blame her). But anyways, HAPPY SORT OF BELATED BIRTHDAY! yeah...  
  
And now Cain will do the disclaimer glomps I love you Cain...  
  
Cain: Ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other songs/movies/books/or the dirty dishes (that are probably still sitting in the kitchen sink, by the way) that gave her inspiration. Not at all...  
  
Okay, now the warnings!  
  
Cain: future shonen-ai (boys loving boys [ragdoll: ohhhhh]), uhh some mean words and I think that's it...  
  
Oh you're so smart... Anyways, on with the craptacularness!  
  
Default Chapter  
  
Seto Kaiba glared heatedly at the small crowd of people that had somehow managed to gather around before turning his attention back to the "mutt" that stood in front of him. How did he manage to get himself in this position? It was always the same routine everyday, without fail: He would be walking to his car, he would pass a certain blonde, and all hell ensued. Give or take a few details, of course.  
  
"What is it, moneybags? Finally realize that your no match to a top duelist like me or are you just admiring the view?"  
  
Seto glared his infamous death glare once again before deciding to finish this little session. After all, he did have things to do.  
  
"Of course not, puppy. I was just taking in the fact that even a dog can somehow manage to get a group of cheerleaders. And here I was thinking that you at least needed some kind of talent to accomplish such a feat. Congratulations." Okay, so it wasn't his best work yet, but what do you expect? After so long, you begin to run out of original insults.  
  
"Kaiba, I'm warning ya..."  
  
'One'  
  
"What? That you didn't wear your muzzle today?"  
  
'Two'  
  
"I swear, if you say ONE more thing, I'll..."  
  
"You'll what? Act just like the dog you are and -"  
  
'Three'  
  
Seto didn't even get to finish his statement before a rather angry Joey flung himself at Seto only to be held back by a few of the before mentioned cheerleaders. Seto smirked to himself, knowing that today's battle was won.  
  
"Kaiba...you bastard...don't you walk away from me...you heartless jerk..."  
  
Deciding to ignore the dog's remarks, Seto calmly turned his back to the scene and began his way to the car. He pushed his way through the slightly disappointed remains of the crowd that only still lingered in hopes of witnessing a fight and exited the building into the school's parking lot. Just as he was about to enter his car, he was stopped by a persistent, yet still soft voice calling his name. He turned around to witness someone recognizable as one of Yugi's nameless cheerleaders heading towards him.  
  
'What was his name again...'  
  
"I'm, umm, sorry to interrupt you..." the small boy rambled but Seto wasn't really hearing any of it. He was more occupied with...other things. More precisely, trying to remember the boy's name.  
  
'Is it Tristan? No he's the one with that hair...'  
  
"...and I know that you don't care enough about me to even r-remember my name..."  
  
'...ah, it's Tea, no that's the girl...'  
  
"...b-but I umm, I w-wanted to ask..."  
  
'...it's not Devlin...it's not Tristan...I know it's not Tea...'  
  
"..why you always pick a fight wi-"  
  
"Bakura..."  
  
"E-excuse me?"  
  
"You're name. It's Bakura, correct?"  
  
"Err...yes."  
  
"Okay Bakura, what did you need to tell me that was so important that you felt the need to hinder my return home?"  
  
"Well, I umm...well you see..." Seto eyed the boy nonchalantly before deciding that he was getting no where.  
  
"Look, I don't know what you wanted to tell me, but I just want to go home. I have a corporation to run and a little brother to take care of. So if you don't mind, I would like to leave. Besides, I seriously doubt anything you planned on saying will really make any kind of a difference seeing as how you can hardly even get it out of your mouth. So if you don't mind..." Seto looked down at the boy for the first time during his speech to meet a pair of deep brown eyes. They held eye-contact for only a second before Bakura looked down at his feet, his faced tinged in a lovely shade of pink.  
  
"I've...I've got to go now," Seto reinforced rather slower this time. He looked back down at the boy once again to see his head still down, looking at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Just as he was turning to enter his car, Seto heard a the small noise, barely distinguishable as a word.  
  
"Why?" Bakura questioned in a hushed voice.  
  
"What?" Seto gazed down at the smaller boy, throughly confused.  
  
"Why?" Bakura answered more confident this time.  
  
"I've already told you, I have a corporation to run and-"  
  
"Not that. Why are you the way you are?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Seto countered more than just a little crossly. What was this kid getting at?  
  
"W-why do act like you don't care? Why do think your incapable of dreams? Why...why won't you let anyone near? Why do you insist upon...being alone?" Seto looked down at Bakura, taken back by his sudden show of self certainty. But the shock was quickly replaced with annoyance.  
  
"What difference is it to you if I choose to be the way I am? It doesn't matter to you," Seto replied coldly glancing down at the boy one last time. All of his self conscience thoughts seemed to flood back upon him as his face flushed to a deep red. He placed his gaze back down at his interesting shoes while stuttering many things in a ways of apologies. Seto turned his back to him and climbed smoothly into the back of his limo, giving the driver directions to bring him home. As the car began to pull away, Seto turned his gaze to the window to see Bakura still standing in the parking lot still looking flushed in the face. Seto turned back around and relaxed into the back of his seat. Why did he even get out of bed this morning?  
  
Seto pushed down the top of his laptop rather forcefully before leaning back into his chair with a heavy sigh. Why was this kid getting to him? It's not not like he hadn't said anything that hadn't been said before. Even if it was put in a different way, he had heard the same message over and over in the mutt's verbal bashings. It always had the same meaning: you are a cold bastard. End of story. But still, there was something different about this time. It was almost like the boy had planned everything that he was going to say. Like he had pondered over the same subject for much too long. Almost like he was hoping for an answer...  
  
W-why do you act like you don't care? Why do think your incapable of dreams? Why...why won't you let anyone near? Why do you insist upon...being alone?"  
  
'All these questions, they all start with why. Why do I do this? Why do I act like that? Why do push everyone away? Why won't I believe in dreams...It...It can't all be true, can it?....So what if it is? I choose to be the way I am. Emotions...they are worthless... they make you weak and I'm anything but weak. That's only too true... I'm nothing but a machine...I don't even live anymore...I have no heart... I... I'm nothing but a shell... I'm a waste of a soul, if I even have any soul left within me. I wonder if anyone could use what little bit of life force that I have left. "A soul for sale or rent, if interested call Seto Kaiba, No smokers please." I wonder if I'd get any calls.... Now I'm just being an idiot. But still... Why am I letting a kid that I don't even know get to me? But he seemed so serious...so...melancholy...'  
  
Sitting up straight, Seto pulled out a piece of note paper and neatly wrote something on it before laying it on top of his briefcase. He then turned to face his computer once again in hopes of finishing his work before sleep claimed him.  
  
Ryou had dreaded showing up for school the next day. Why did he have to open his big mouth? All he wanted to do was ask why he fought with Joey in hopes of finding some way to make it stop. Really, that's all he wanted to know, but no he had to open his big mouth. He had already spent the majority of his day avoiding any spot that Kaiba might have been at and making sure he was unnoticeable in the few classes they had together. It's not that he was afraid...okay, so it was because he was just a little afraid. (He really didn't know how Kaiba would react considering the two of them had never really interacted together, but if the many fights between him and Joey had taught Ryou anything, it was that Kaiba, was not very kind person when angered.) But he was more embarrassed. He really didn't want the older boy to know that he was that curious about the 'Great Seto Kaiba'. It was something that he had always kept himself. It wasn't like some silly teenage girl infatuation. It was more like a curiosity. How could one person be so cold? Ryou was certain that he could be nice. After all, he was quite possibly 'bother of the year' when it came to Mokuba, so he couldn't be all that mean all the time, could he?  
  
A sudden, sharp sound awoke Ryou from his thoughts as two boys playfully hit at each other, causing one's book to fly from his hand. Looking around, Ryou realized that class was over. He rose from his seat and made his way out the door. He slowly walked down the halls, keeping an eye out for an certain brunette when he finally reached his last class. He sat down in his usual seat in the back only to find a piece of paper laying on his desk. He picked it up slowly, holding it a good eight inches from his face as if it would suddenly lunge at him and bite his nose. Luckily for Ryou,it was a normal piece of blue-bordered stationary paper , and not some man-craving, rogue monster. After a few minutes of stunned silence, he allowed himself to read the lettering on the small slip of paper. In very neat handwriting that elegantly sloped to the side, was the words  
  
I have no heart. I'm cold inside. Is that the answer you wanted?  
  
hides behind Cain I know that was bad, but it will get better...I think...anyways, Remember, reviews are a many a marvelous thing!  
Cain: translation-PLEASE REVIEW  
Yeah, please, pretty pretty please? 


	2. Assassins

Okay, the first chapter's italics and stuff like that didn't go correctly because is a pain in the butt. Anyways, here's the next chapter!

And I got reviews! I got like four, which happens to be five more than I expected.Thank you all sooo much. You have made my life so much happier! I wanted to personally e-mail all of you, but wouldn't give me the bloody addresses. Truly sorry...

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The Chaotic Ones: I'm glad you like it. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. It really helps me out.

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KageAmira: Thank you, You are so sweet Umm, here's the next chapter. Thank you, you are so nice!

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Last Warning: I apologize for any hard feelings you may have, but I honestly haven't read that story before, non the less heard of it( but I'm sure it's really good if it's from her). I'm sorry if you feel that I took or stole something. That was certainly not my intentions. Thank you for reviewing anyways, and telling me about that. And once again I'm sorry for any hard feelings.

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Dark-Angel302 : (blush) Wow, you are really too kind. You are also so sweet (glomps) Thank you sooo much for reviewing AND liking it. I don't even know what to say...no ones ever said something so nice to me (blush) Really, thank you. You've honestly made me want to keep working on this. I wish I could get you'r e-mail address, but won't let me get it (stupid...messed up...piece of crap...) Anyways, thank you so much (glomps)

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BTW: It was brought to my attention that there has been another fic under the name of "The one the world forgot" and is also about Ryou. I assure that it was a coincidence and I did not intentionally go looking for something to steal. To be honest I'm not really sure where the phrase came from... I think I heard it in a song... Either way, I apologize for any bad feeling that either party may have, but it was truly coincidence. Now Cain will do the disclaimer...again.

Cain: ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Batman, or any other movies/songs/or anything else that may have given her inspiration. Nope, none at all...

Good job, now the warnings.

Cain: ummm, shonen-ai (boys being with other boys) and rude words, and ummm I think that's it...

Good boy...on with the fic!

Chapter One: Assassins

Ryou's POV

I stared at Joey in disbelief.

"...and then I'll say something really cool and he'll be the embarrassed one! It's genius, isn't it?" Joey finished, looking at us expectantly. He had just finished telling us his 'plan' to embarrass Kaiba, which incidentally required the use of a dog, an apple, a strategically place bowling ball and dental floss. Needless to say, I really doubt it's chances of success.

"That's umm, nice Joey," Yugi managed through the stifled giggles.

"Yeah, it's really...creative," Tea said supportively. Everyone set their glances on me, obviously expecting me to say something nice to the oblivious Joey. I really don't like to be the one that all the weight falls upon. I mean come on, he's using dental floss as a vital part of his plan. What are the chances that it's going to work? But I'm obviously the only one left that they trust to not squash the boy's dreams. I raced through my mind, trying to come up with something that wasn't a lie, but wasn't to hurt his feelings. Okay, so it was harder than it looks...

I feel a blush creep upon my cheeks as I open my mouth to say something. Just as I begin to speak, I hear a loud voice from behind me.

"That has got to be them most idiotic thing I've ever heard," I groan as I turn around to see non other Duke Devlin coming up behind me.

"Duke, that isn't very nice!" Tea reprimanded in a stern voice.

"What do you know anyways, dice boy?" Joey shouted over Tea's words.

"I obviously know more than you if you think that so-called plan is going to work," Duke replied.

"Do not!" Joey shouted once again.

"Do too!" Duke shouted even louder, if that was possible.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"STOP!" Everyone looked over at me startled, not that I blame them. It's very unusual for me to speak non-the-less yell, but they were obviously getting no where. Duke is too much of a control freak and Joey's too stubborn for either of them to stop. "Joey, your idea is...different. Duke, not everyone wants to know what your opinion is. So just stop." There, I showed them.

There was a moment of stunned silence before laughter filled the entire hall. I glared at Duke which only to cause him laugh some more. "I...can't believe it...you tried to...and sayed that...and...ha ha ha..." Duke somehow manage to say while gasping for breath at the same time. It wasn't -that- funny, if funny at all. I was being serious. Trust Devlin to make a fool out of you.

"I...well...you...I've got to go..." I stuttered, trying to find the nearest means of escape. I walked off to the sound of Duke trying to apologize through his laughter. I chose to ignore it, making it obvious that I was by no means happy. No, I wasn't throwing a fit...I was making my point clear. I made my way through the calm halls that held the few people that had yet to leave the school building, making it to my locker. As I approached it, I noticed a small slip of paper that looked like it had been carefully placed so that the end would stick out, as if to catch my attention. As I picked it up, I recognized it as the same piece of paper that I had written on yesterday.

-Flashback-

I unconsciously picked at the corners of the mysterious stationary paper, trying to make sense of all that running through my head at the moment. I had my suspicions of who the paper was from, but it didn't make sense. Why on earth would Seto Kaiba take the time to not only write something to me, but to also walk all the way in this class and set it on my desk? Maybe he didn't deliver it at all. Maybe it was the hit-man he hired to get rid of me. Maybe this was some kind of weird little warning. Maybe...okay so I was being more than just a little paranoid, but still. I looked back down at the note. It had to be him, there's no other explanation. He had written me, Ryou Bakura, a letter. Okay, so it's really just a one-line note, but it's still the same basis. What should I do? Do I write him back? Do I act like it never even happened? I picked up my notebook and pulled out a small of paper. What do I say to someone who could outdo me in every thing he does? Maybe a small thank you for taking the time to write... No that won't work. What does he even mean by it. It's almost like he's trying to tell me why he is...the way he is... oh... It makes sense now... I think. But what am I suppose to do now? Do I tell him I understand? He's telling me who he is, maybe I should tell him what I'm about. What do I tell him? That I'm some worthless kid who's own friends would probably forget about if I didn't show up two days in a row? The truth, I'll tell him the truth...

I poked at the paper with my pencil for a moment before slowly writing out "I'm the one the world forgot."

-End-

I numbly picked up the paper. After looking around the hall for any sign of the boy, I turned the note over to see the similar handwriting.

'I'll save you if you'll save me.'

Now what was that suppose to mean? Maybe he had a hit-man after him too. No, that wouldn't make sense. He was the one who supposedly set the hit-man on me after all. I twirled the paper around my fingers, glancing side to side occasionally. This all had to be some kind of misunderstanding. I leaned closer to my locker, letting my head hit it softly. It actually felt rather nice. I hit my head against the metal door with more force this time, closing my eyes in the process. Why (thump), why (thump), why(thump), wh-

"I really don't think that's too good for your head."

My eyes shot open as I instantly recognized the voice. Slowly I turned around to meet a pair of deep blue eyes. Great, now I had done it. He's probably here to finish the job. The assassin must have been taking to long. Maybe if I escape now, I can run away. Yeah, I can become a superhero and have a secret identity. I wonder if Batman is looking to fill a position... wait, no that won't work, my white hair would give me away too easily... damn...that was a good idea too.

I attempted to open my mouth only to realize I had nothing to say. I clamped it back down. God, I must look like some kind of fish... Oh great and now comes the blush, right on cue. I looked down at my feet. After all, that had become my way through life. When in doubt, look at your shoes.

"Listen, Bakura, I want to say...sorry for the other day. I should have been more civil to you. So yeah..." he trailed off as if he was embarrassed, but Kaiba doesn't get embarrassed so never mind. I looked up from my shoes to see a flustered Kaiba looking back down at me. I attempt to reply, but it of course only came out in a stammer. "Look, since it's almost time to leave, why don't you let me take you home?"

"I-I really don't want to make you go out of your way..." No! I can't sit in a car with Kaiba for the fifteen minutes it would take to get home! He's trying to kill me! I search around the hall just in case Kaiba was a distraction and the hit-man was actually right behind me with his gun ready. I turned around slowly to see a confused, but amused Kaiba looking down at me, again. Ah ha! So he's on to me, he knows that I know that he knows that...oh forget it.

"No, Bakura, really I want to. It wouldn't be out of my way at all. Unless you don't want to go, then I understand..." Was that...pain I heard in his voice? Was the actual Seto Kaiba upset because some weird kid wouldn't ride home with him...Great, a guilt trip. Just what I needed.

"No, it's not that at all...I would just hate to be a bother..." Damn me and my urge to be nice to everything. News year resolution number on: be assertive.

"I insist," Kaiba said with the smallest hint of a smile. Great the assassin is probably waiting in the car. No wonder he's so happy, he'll be able to get rid of me right before his eyes. Oh, goodbye cruel, cruel world...

That wasn't -too- bad, was it? Sorry, it wasn't longer, but it just seemed like the right place to stop. The chapters should get longer as I get along, though. But yeah, I want to thank everybody who reviewed last chapter. It made my whole outlook on this so much better.

Cain: Trust me, she was dancing around and singing and being...happy. Trust me, if you can avoid ever seeing that sight, do. If only for your sake...

Be quiet you! Anyways, I would REALLY appreciate if you would review. Please, it let's me know what I'm doing wrong.

Cain: Like you can name all that you do wrong....

That...really hurt my feelings.... (runs off to cry)

Cain: O.O oops...Please review and make her happy again...please?


	3. Tissue Wine Glasses

(Currently spaz-ing out) I got like 10 reviews. 10! Plus the four from chapter 1 (brings out handy dandy notebook) and you add those together and it equals...uh...14! I have fourteen reviews! And now as a thank-you, For your entertainment, I shall...DANCE LIKE A MONKEY!  
  
Cain: or you could just thank them normally...  
  
...okay.  
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Ai Baka-san Austra: (blush) Thank you...You'll learn why Seto is nice later (I think). And I normally like a more assertive Ryou too. HE is talking to Seto though...Here's your update and thank you for reviewing soooo much.  
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cwthewolf: Thank you for reviewing. Here's the next chapter!  
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KageAmira: (gigle) Thank you. All these reviews make me all giggly...Thank you so much for reviewing and being nice. Nice people rock.  
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Terri: Thank you for the kind words (Hmm, I sound like some town elder) anyways...here's an update.  
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Dark-Angel302: You really are way too sweet. (Blush) I really can't write...and there's not much of a plot...but uber, uber thanks anyways. Thanks for leaving your e-mail too. Stupid wouldn't let me get to them.... Thank you for being sooo nice.  
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Hibiscus Pink: Aww, thank you. Here's an update.  
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Chaotic Demon: Thank you for reviewing bows It was sweet of you (glomps)  
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The Chaotic Ones: Oooh, a suggestion. I got a suggestion, woo hoo. Seto POV huh...I shall try to. HE's so much harder to write. I guess 'cause I can really relate to Ryou. But I shall try! Thank you for reviewing...twice now. It really makes me happy.  
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Crimson: Ryou is cute...hmm...and yummy...I could eat him with a spoon...yum... Anyways, thank you for reviewing! Here's a puppy, wait I mean next chapter.  
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andromeda90: Ryou does have an imagination...that or he's paranoid. I like my Ryou with a side of paranoid every once in a while...Thank you for loving it. I'm really glad you do. I'm glad all you people do...I thought it sucked major monkey toes...(glomps) thank you so much for reviewing. It means the world to me!  
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And now for a note, today is my last day of freedom from that hell-hole known as school. But I will do my best to keep the updates coming fast. I know there will be at least one a week...I'm hoping more than that. But yeah Cain will do the disclaimer.  
  
Cain: finally... ragdoll does not in any way own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other poor Movie/Book/or song that may have inspired this. They all belong to...somebody else.  
  
and warnings...  
  
Cain: Shonen-ai (lovey boys...together), rude words, and a twitchy Ryou.  
  
On with the fic!  
  
Chapter Two: Seto POV  
  
I held open the limo door, letting Bakura crawl in before I easily slid into the seat. Once I had briefcase put away, I casually glanced towards his direction, only to receive slightly amused smile. It had been two weeks since I first offered to drive Bakura home on that evening. Why I did it, I'm still not really sure of. Something about him draws me towards the boy. He seem so lost and alone. And for some reason, I want to help him. I want to be the one to catch him when he's falling. And if I'm not able to help him, I want to be the only one to witness the train wreck, just so that I can be the only one able to out the pieces back together. I know he has friends, but they don't really pay attention to him, at least not the attention he deserves. It seems as if Bakura didn't show up one day, he would go unnoticed until somebody needed to borrow Chemistry notes. He really deserves more than that. But then again, I don't know for sure. I try to stay away from Yugi and his fanclub as much as possible. Well, at least -most- of his fanclub. It's just that, I never bothered to notice the boy before that one day. I never really even knew he exist. He was just there. Now, I look forward to seeing him everyday.  
  
"Thank you for inviting me over Kaiba, " Bakura said brightly, tearing me away from my thoughts of the boy. I looked over at him to see a shy smile and slightly red face. He was still nervous around me, I could tell. At least he had gotten to the point where he could sit still. The first day I drove him home, he kept twitching and looking around as if looking for something. At one point, he spun around to see what was behind him. Once he saw that there was nothing back there, he sunk lower into the seat, his face a few shades whiter. It was almost like he was expecting someone with a gun to pop out and shoot him...  
  
"Don't worry about it," I replied a little too warmly for normal Kaiba-like behavior, "...and call me Seto." I looked over at the boy to see the results that I wanted; Bakura's face was stained with a deep red and he was stuttering over incomprehensible words.  
  
"O-okay, Ka-Seto," I laughed inwardly as his face slowly returned to its normal color and he stop twisting his hands. I noticed he did that when he was nervous. It's the little things...  
  
"So, Bakura,what would you like to do? We have-"  
  
"Ryou," he cut in, "If I get to call you by your name then you should get to call me by mine." His face was red once again and his hands were rather twitchy, but besides that, he looked rather proud of himself for correcting me. And I have to say that so was I.  
  
"Okay then, Ryou," I smiled down at him. Just as I was about to continue our conversation, the car came to a stop. I gave Ba-Ryou a reassuring smile before sliding out of the door with ease. I watched as he attempted to get out the door, only to trip on his other leg. I reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him while he muttered many many thank you's. I gently nodded at him before showing him to the front door.  
  
Ryou's POV  
  
I could tell that I still had a blush on my face I stepped up to the front door. There is no way on Earth that this could be considered a house. You could probably fit an entire colony of early American pilgrims that you read about in history, and they would still have room left over. I gawked up at it a moment longer before Kaiba gently pushed me forward. I mean Seto pushed me forward...  
  
If I was amazed at the outside of the house, that was nothing compared to the inside. The place was breathtaking to say the least. I stood at a complete standstill before Kaiba, I mean Seto, let out a small laugh. I blushed at realization that he was probably laughing at my reaction and the fact that the Seto Kaiba was laughing. Not taunting anyone or getting into somebody's head during a duel. No, he was actually laughing, even if it was only a small one...  
  
I broke my gaze from my surroundings to look up Kaib-Seto to see there was still the tinniest hint of a smile on his face. I realized that I had been twisting my hands and quickly pulled them apart. I must look like an idiot. "You must get reactions like that all the time," Hmm, that came out relatively good. Score one for Ryou.  
  
"I wouldn't know. I've never had anyone over before," I looked up puzzled to see that he was already making his way towards a room to his left. I felt myself frown slightly, but then I hurried to catch up with him. I would hate to get lost in a place like this. I would never find my way out. I could just imagine it. Kaiba would have just brought over some big shot executives and be showing them around when they suddenly hear a cry for help. When questioned about it, Kaiba would answer,'Oh it's just some kid I unfortunately lost.' 'Oh, did he die and is now haunting you?' 'No, I lost him. In the West Wing I think. Sometimes, I think I can still hear him crying at night...'  
  
I shuddered at the at the clip that had just run through my head. I looked around just to make sure that I wasn't too far behind. We walked a little further until we came to room that I would assume is a family room. Sitting in a over-sized chair that made me think of the "Big Comfy Couch"[1] was Mokuba. He looked up from whatever he was drawing to run over to Seto. He pounced on him, talking faster than I could comprehend. Seto smiled down at him before putting a finger to the child's mouth to silence him.  
  
"You didn't even notice that we have company, Mokuba," I looked around to see if someone had managed to sneak up behind me before I realized it was me he was talking about. I gave Mokuba a weak smile before he unlatched himself from Seto only to jump up on me. I stumbled slightly before regaining my composure. I awkwardly patted his head while looking at Seto, silently pleading that he would tell me what I was suppose to do. Seto gave a weak smile before readdressing the boy.  
  
"Mokuba, Ryou and I," I flushed slightly at the sound of my name," are going to watch a movie. I think that maybe you should go upstairs and finish your homework. Okay?"  
  
"Okay big brother!" the ever excited Mokuba replied. He ran over to the big comfy couch to collect his possessions. He hugged Seto one more time and chirped a goodbye to me before he was gone. I eyed the door that the hyper boy had just disappeared from before Seto brought me back to reality.  
  
"If you want to take a seat, I'll go ahead and set everything up." I looked around at the different pieces of furniture before deciding that I liked the big comfy couch one. I sat down and sunk down into the over sized pillow that matched the chair perfectly. I checked up on Seto who was currently messing with some wires.I took the time to look around, but really wasn't able to concentrate that easily. I kept picturing that girl dressed up as a clown and the little doll that never talked. It was a little unknown fact that I loved to watch shows that were aimed for preschoolers. They just remind me so much of the innocence I once possessed before a certain a necklace came into my life. And it just so happens that one of my favorite shows is "The Big Comfy Couch". I risked a glance at Seto before I started to sing the theme song in my head. It really was catchy and never left your head once it found a home there. I slightly bobbed my head to the little jingle, occasionally looking at my surroundings. I must have zoned out because the next thing I knew, Seto was looking at me expectantly, as if waiting for an answer.  
  
"E-excuse me?" I said sheepishly. He grinned slightly before restating his question.  
  
"Do you have a movie preference?"  
  
'It's Luna and Molly...'  
  
"We have many different movies..."  
  
'...a clown and her dolly...'  
  
"..and if you don't like any of these, we have more in another room..."  
  
'...on the big comfy couch!' I sang the song over and over in my head while trying to make out what Seto was asking me. Movie...pick a movie...  
  
"Do you have the "Big Comfy Couch"?" I asked dimly before I realized what I was saying.  
  
Seto just looked at me oddly before replying, "No, I don't think so..." I blushed deeply at how dumb I must have sounded.  
  
"Uh, anything will work..." I mumbled, throughly embarrassed. He glanced at me once more before bending down to pull out a dvd box. He put the dvd in the player, then sat down in a couch that was angled right next to my seat. The federal warnings came on and I noticed that I was once again twisting my hands around. I immediately stopped and glanced at Seto out of the corner of my eye. He was facing the television set, but his eyes were glazed over as if in deep thought. Then, in a sudden rush of noise, the dvd menu came on to reveal that the movie was in fact "Edward Scissorhands"[2].  
  
It was, in fact, one of my favorite movies, but I never imagined that Seto even knew that it existed, non the less watched it. I watched the screen carefully as he pushed the play button and settled back into the couch. As the beginning intro started, the realization hit me hard: I cried every time I saw this movie. It didn't matter that I've seen it dozens of times, it made me cry...a lot. And it wasn't like 'Oh, that's sad' cry. It was like 'I was torn up for a week after the movie ended' cry. I nervously glanced at Seto to gratefully see a box of tissues on the end table that separated our seats. I grabbed a few, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but he somehow manged to notice. He looked over at me and gave a reassuring smile before picking one up for himself. I know that my jaw dropped, but I really didn't notice at the moment. The Seto Kaiba just grabbed a tissue because of a movie. I gave him one more look before turning back to the movie.  
  
We watched the majority of the movie in silence. I dreaded the moment that the movie would come to an end mostly because I did not like to let people see me cry. But surely enough, the moment neared closer an closer until it had finally came. I pulled the tissue closer to my face as Winona Ryder's character, Kim, leaned up to Edward to say goodbye with those final three words. I tried to stop the tears, I really did, but I couldn't help it. I glanced over at Seto to see that tears shone on his eyes too. He looked over at me and gave a little smile. He raised his tissue as if it was a wine glass and gave a 'toast. I did the same, giggling through my tears.  
  
He stared at the screen for a few more seconds before speaking so quietly that I could barely hear him, "How can she know that she loves him?"  
  
I looked at him for a few seconds before deciding that he wanted an answer, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, she could have sworn that she didn't care about Edward, that she loved that other guy. But here she is saying that she loves him. How can she be so sure? I don't know what it would take for me to love someone, but how do you know that you love them? What does it take?"  
  
I studied him closely, his eyes still set on the screen. "What would it take for me to love somebody...I guess someone to acknowledge that I exist, at least in a positive way. I mean more than just saying 'hi' as they pass me. Someone who would do something as simple as holding open a door for me or saying 'Bless you' after I sneeze. Sounds simple enough, ne? And yet, you'd be amazed at how things have turned out. I know that most people would wish for a "prince, complete with a happily ever after", but in reality, all I want is a tissue and a small "Bless you". Maybe this is my way of making sure that I don't fall on love, since I know better than to expect such things. Maybe this is just my way of avoiding pain..." I trailed off, getting deeper and deeper into my thoughts. Just then, realization of what I was saying came to me. "That's probably really silly, so never mind..." I blushed deeply and felt my hands twist around themselves, but I didn't bother to stop them this time.  
  
I looked at Seto out of the corner of my eye. He had this thoughtful look on his face. The he spoke in the same hushed tone, "No that's not silly at all...It actually makes perfect sense..." he looked down to his lap as I did the same to mine. I had torn up the previously crushed tissue and it now sat in shreds on my lap. I began gathering the pieces, just to give myself something to do. I looked up at the screen one last time to see Edward creating an ice sculptor of the one person he loved and the one person who loved him.  
  
[1] For anyone who doesn't know what The Big Comfy Couch is, it's a child's show (think preschool) about this clown girl and her little doll who have a house with huge furniture and stuff. They pretty much teach you how to count and stuff. I absolutely LOVE that show and if you haven't seen it, I would suggest it. It's almost as good as Blues Clues and Bob the Builder  
  
[2] Okay for anyone who hasn't seen Edward Scissorhands, you should. Plain and simple,ne? It's a Tim Burton film and it has Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. It's a movie about a boy who was created by a scientist, but before he could finish the boy, the Scientist died of old age. Therefore, Edward was left with scissors for hands. One day, a kind lady finds Edward up in the castle that he was created in. She brings him down to her quiet suburban home where her family lives. It's mostly about him trying to find acceptance for what he is and going through the troubles of being in love with someone who he thinks doesn't love him back. I know that my summary doesn't do it justice, but still, you should see it. It is amazing.  
  
Ookay, how bad was it? Be truthful. I thought it was boring and drawn out, but hey I liked writing it. My ryou explainng what it would take to love speech didn't come out as powerful as I hoped, but oh well. I really do love that movie and that show (hums the song). I almost cried when writing about Edward though. The movie tears me up...  
  
Cain: Let's get this over with...  
  
Pushy, okay, will you PLEASE review. I have to go back to school tomorrow and the reviews will make me happy. Plus, I didn't even plan on wrting this chapter until I read all the reviews. They were wonderful so thanks again. But please review, please? 


	4. Counting Crows

Oh, (sniff) your reviews are probably the only thing that got me through this day (sniff) Thank you sooo much. I really didn't plan on updating until a couple days but, I have my reasons.

[1] Life's a bitch.

[2] The world is a very, very ugly place.

[3] I am currently looking for something very, very tall to jump off of...

But all angst set aside, your reviews have made me sooo much better feeling. So here I am to update! But first, let's thank the people who make it all worth while...

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Dark-Angel302: Thank you for reviewing I don't understand why more people don't watch those shows. They're so awesome, especially Bob the builder. He had Elton John on his show! How much cooler could you get...

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andromeda90: Thank you for your well wishes and the reviews! I don't care if I have the time to write or not! I'm going to do it anyways...in your face school...OMG Thank you soooooooooo much for putting me on your fav list. I feel so special. Like a movie star-no even better: a movie director! I feel loved (self hug)...(glomp)You are so awesome!

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treana: You reviewed! OMG you reviewed! treana reviewed on my thing (dies)! You are so, so, so,so awesome! I'm sooooo glad that you can tolerate it, non the less say you like it! Woop! I'm living the life now...

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KageAmira: DIE SCHOOL! Yeah anyways...thank you for the review. And don't worry, school shall not stand in my way! Mwa ha ha...

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Nobodycares: I am pleased that you like it. Yah for more S/R fans! We so need more...

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Ai Baka-san Austra: (sniff) I'm really sensitive too...Thankies for liking the chapter...I don't know how you people do it... Yugi-tachi...they...umm..we'll get to them later (mentally cursing) I haven't really gotten that far. I've barely gotten into the admitting of the feelings or the kissing of the boys...uh, oops? I PROMISE I will get there...DAMN YOU SCHOOL! DAMN YOU TO HELL!

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LadyBloodShedRed: I LOVE BLUE'S CLUE'S TOO! Not too much for Stanley though...He's too smart...Anyways, here's the update!

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The Chaotic Ones: OMG I am soooo sorry. I tried my hardest not to give too much away in the movie, I really did, but it was hard (cries) I hope you can forgive me... Thank you for reviewing. You guys are always sooo nice. Makes me want to actually get out of bed... Thanks so much...(whispers) I'm sooo sorry about the movie thing. I feel so bad because that's an awesome movie that EVERYONE should see. I ruined it for you (goes off to sulk in a corner)

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a song for jeffrey: I don't think you've reviewed (I'm sorry if you have), but thank you so totally much for adding me to your fav list. It was really the one thing that kept me going through school (huggles) You saved me! You are so cool! And I read your bio...We seem sooo alike: the Elijah, the dislike for DBZ (shudders), music,....except I LIKE Seto and Mokuba pairings... Oh well . Thank you soo much!

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Uhh, I think that's it...Truly sorry if I missed out on anyone, but is a pain (as usual) . Speaking of which, I know that I should label this as Chapter Three as I've been doing, But it confuses me too much, so I'll list it as chapter four, okay? Sorry for any confusion. BTW, I've got a prize for who can tell me what movie inspired the whole "sneezing love thing" I'll give you muffins! No, cookies...No, Spaghetti-O's! Yum...Spaghetti-o's...

Cain: ragdoll doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other movie/book/song that may appear or inspired this fic. They all belong to some rich person...

Cain: oh yeah, there's shonen-ai (lovey-dovey boys 2-gether), some rude words, some light angst, and a sick Ryou...

Chapter err, four, I think... 'Counting Crows'

Ryou's POV

I woke up to the usual, persistent sound of an alarm going off somewhere near my head. I slung my arm up, blindly searching for a switch, any switch. As long as it stopped that God forsaken beeping...It took a couple tries, but I finally managed to turn off the screaming contraption. I reluctantly rolled over and slung my legs off the bed. I tried to stand up, but my room started to spin. Or maybe I was just dizzy...Groaning, I tried another time and managed to stand fully on my feet. After balancing myself, I slowly walked down the hall into my bathroom. I groped for the light switch with one hand while I brushed my hair out of my eyes with the other. Once the light was fully on, I risked a glance at the mirror, already knowing what the results would be. I looked up to see a dead, pale face. Okay, so maybe that wasn't what I expected...I leaned as close to my reflection as my vision would allow me without causing me to go blind. I poked at my face a couple times before grabbing a tissue to blow my nose in. I couldn't be sick, please tell me I wasn't sick already...It's barely even cold season, but trust me to be the first to get it. Great...and Seto would be here in a few minutes to come and pick me up for school. Great...

I did my usual morning routine, going as fast as my stuffed up head would allow, before I heard the familiar doorbell. I ran into my room to grab the rest of my things before opening the door to see Seto standing coolly with his hands in his pockets. He began to say something with a smile on his face until he got a good look at my face and stopped abruptly. Oh, gods, do I look that bad...

"Ryou, do you feel okay? Maybe you should stay home. You don't look so well," he said, taking my face into his hands and directing my gaze up to him. I suddenly got a peculiar fluttering in my stomach. Maybe I had more than just a cold...

"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically, "No, I'm fine. Besides, I have a test today. I'll be fine."

He looked down at me unsure, before nodding slightly and leading me to the limo. He opened the door for me as he usually did and slid in right behind me. During the ride, I kept notice him giving me worried glances from the corner of my eye. In hopes of taking the attention away from me for a while, I decided to start a conversation.

"So did you get a partner for that project?" I asked calmly.

He grinned down at me, obviously getting the joke. "Yeah, I got stuck with this little paranoid kid. He's really shy too. And never talks around people. It makes me think he's planning everyone's demise."

I suppressed a giggle from his description of me before replying. "Yeah? Sounds like you've got it easy. I got stuck with this total jerk. He never has anything nice to say and is a total control freak. Plus, not to mention, he practically lives to make my friends' lives a living hell."

I looked up at him to see mock pain masked over his handsome features. "Am I really -that- bad?" he asked with a frown on his face.

"Of course not," I replied with a small blush on my face. He flashed me one of his rare smiles which I just know made my blush grow.

He smoothly grabbed his suitcase and my bag before stepping out of the limo. He stood just outside the door while I clumsily climbed out in a not-so-elegant manner. Needless to say, I still wasn't used to getting out of that thing. He handed me my bag kindly before turning around to meet face to face with Devlin himself.

"How are you, Kaiba my boy? And good morning Bakura. So...what were you doing in the limo, huh?" He said rather confidently raising a suggestive eyebrow. I looked him over with a slight blush burning my cheeks-WAIT, WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!?

And surely enough, you can't have one of them without having all of them come tumbling behind. All of Yugi-tachi came up right behind Devlin, casting both Seto and me curious glances.

"What's going on, Dice-Boy?" Joey asked in a loud, not to mention annoying, voice.

Deciding to to ignore the nickname for now, Devlin replied in a confident voice, "I was just asking Kaiba here what those two were doing in the limo, that's all. Then Bakura here started blushing like mad and Kaiba, being the great guy that he is, was just about to supply us with an answer." Oh that smirk...Some day that smirk will be the death of Devlin. If not by me, then by Seto, 'cause he's not looking exactly pleasant right now... I'd rather not look...I'd rather just block it all out. It's not like I don't care for Yugi-tachi. It's just that I feel more comfortable with Seto. He understands me. And for some reason, I feel much more close to Seto, even if I haven't known him as long. And I'd rather just not have to see my supposed 'friends' get murdered, even if they do deserve it...

I glanced around in search of something, anything to take my mind away from the scene that was in front of me. Ooh, look a tree. That's a really nice tree...Okay, that isn't working. Oh, crows...How did that rhyme go..."One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for girls, Four for boys, Five silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told." It had been forever since I had actually counted crows[1]. I hadn't done it since the necklace came into my life. But my yami said things like that were worthless and stupid. And before long, I had completely forgotten about it... until now, that is. I looked the crows over before realizing that there were two pecking around the grass. Two...two's for joy. I risked a glance back at the scene to see a very red Devlin and a fuming Joey and Tristan. At least Seto was still his old self...Then I felt a string of coughing sneak up on me. I certainly wasn't feeling any joy right now...

-Later during lunch-

I search the school court for any sign of a human being that actually knew that I existed. Seto was off at one of his countless lunch meetings and Yugi-tachi was scattered among the school doing different things. Whether it be a dance line meeting (Tea) or detention for releasing all the dissection frogs in the science room (Joey) [2], they were off doing their own thing...except me. Plus, not to mention that I still had a brutal cold and a runny nose to make things even better. I walked alone for a little while before coming up to the same tree from this morning. And underneath it was what suspiciously looked like the same two crows, still eating away at the dirt. The only thing I didn't expect to see was the person sitting underneath the tree, glumly throwing the birds pieces of a left over sandwich: Tristan. I allowed a small smile to spread across my lips before slowly advancing towards the tree. I came up beside him and sat down to his left. He barely looked up at me while muttering some sort of 'hello'. This was certainly not normal Tristan behavior. Maybe he was just down since everyone else was off doing their thing. Speaking of which...

"What are you doing out here? I'm more than certain that you would have had -something- to do with the science-lab-frog scene. You and Joey do have the same class together, after all," I said suspiciously. Maybe he didn't actually release the frogs, but I'm sure he at least put the idea in Joey's head. I always assumed he was the brains between the two...

"Actually, no, I didn't. I had...other things on my mind..." he answered softly. Wow, maybe Joey wasn't as dense as I thought...on to more important matters, this is most certainly NOT Tristan-like. By now, he would have at least mentioned how much of an idiot Joey is or something. I gave him a wary look, trying to figure out just what to say, before he started to speak again.

"Ryou, we used to be close, right?" I nodded in agreement. It was true. I had been closest to him all through Duelist's Kingdom. Even after wards, he was the person I was closest to in Yugi-tachi. That was until Seto came along... " Well," he continued, "I really need someone to talk to right now, but I really don't have anyone. Joey's great for a good laugh or something, but he's just not someone you would go to for...emotional support. That's what I always had you for. But then we began to drift apart...and you started to be around Kaiba more and more... It just seems there's no one left for me, y'know? Maybe I'm being selfish, but I want someone to care for me like Kaiba obviously cares for you," Okay, what's that suppose to mean? "and the one person I love more than anything else in the world thinks I'm the biggest jerk in the world..." he trailed off with tears now slowly making their way down his face.

What did he mean? Was he saying that I didn't pay attention to him... Yeah, I guess he was. And I hate to say it, but I think he's right. I haven' t really talked to any of Yugi-tachi since that afternoon with Joey's "brilliant" plan and Devlin making a mockery of me. I Iooked up at him to see he was now picking apart a piece of grass, obviously trying to stop the tears from falling, but doing a horrible job at it. What had got him, Tristan Taylor, the strongest among us, so upset that he couldn't even look up?

I moved my hand out from behind my back to stop him from murdering the countless pieces of grass that now lied torn among his knees. He looked up at me once I layed my hand on his, confusion written in his eyes.

"What is it that's got you this upset?" I questioned softly, as if any loud noise might shatter everything around us.

"I-I can't say..."

"Is it that you don't know, or you don't want to say?" I replied after a few seconds of thought. It remained silent for a few minutes. I didn't dare say anything in fear of interrupting any internal battle he appeared to be having. It took a few more minutes before he spoke again, in a hushed tone.

"Do...do you know what it's like to want to hold one person and one person only? Even if it means that you have to face death itself, you want that one person to be happy? Like nothing else matters, as long as you know they're okay? Do you know how much it hurts to know that the same person wants nothing to do with you? That the same person that you would so willingly give your life for, thinks you're nothing but a jerk? It-it hurts. And I can't make it stop..." he placed his gaze back at the crows who were now searching for any remains of food.

Two crows. It's so odd...by themselves, in solitude, the crow stands for sorrow. But by simply adding one more to the solitary bird, you get the complete opposite. You get joy. Does companionship really mean that much? Can it actually make the difference between joy and sorrow? I looked back at Tristan from the corner of my eye to see silent tears still making their way down his face. I guess it could be considered true...look at Tristan. I was the same way...until I met Seto. But this is different. Tristan loves this person. I don't love Seto, not that way...Sure I would do anything to make that smile stay on his face forever, but that's different, right? There's a definite difference there. Besides, I know better than to expect something like that. That sort of thing doesn't happen to me. Even I'm not that delirious to believe in those sort of things any more. This world isn't some happy bubble where everyone's dreams come true, where two stupid crows mean that you'll be happy. This world is ugly, cold and cruel. Love is something that blesses the very rare and fortunate and damns the rest of us, like Tristan and myself, to a life of solitude and pain. Just like the one crow, to live life alone, as a murder of one[3].

I suddenly found my voice and was able to ask the one question that had been eating away at my brain, "Who is it?"

Tristan looked up at me through the tears, obviously not expecting what I had said. He gazed at me apprehensively before dropping his head and muttering "Duke". It was so low that I had strain to hear, but surely I heard wrong. There was no way that Tristan Taylor said that he loved Duke Devlin. It's just...not right. There's certain rules the galaxy should always follow in order to delay the inevitable doom that should come upon it and I'm -pretty- sure that Devlin and Tristan together would be breaking at least three of those rules. He obviously caught the startled appearance on my face as his blush darkened and new tears came close to spilling onto his cheeks.

"I-I know that it's...wierd, but there's just something about him... and I know he's a another guy, but I thought, I hoped you would understand and-"

"Tristan, you don't have to apologize for who you love. I'm sure it can't be helped. But I'm not going to lie. It is weird that you like-"

"Love," he interrupted me.

"...-Love- Devlin. It's just, how do you know that he's the one? How do you know that you want to be with him and only him?" It was honestly a question that had been on my mind for a while now. After all, Tristan and I, we are each the solitary crow...we are meant to be alone. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I don't to be the only one left waiting for someday...

Tristan seemed to frown at my question, as if it was something he himself had been trying to figure out. He held eye-contact with me with his red, tear-stained eyes before answering in a slow voice, "He knows I exist...whether it be good or bad, he acknowledges me. Whether he's putting me down or starting an argument, he makes me want to be me, because I'm the person that he chooses to argue with, no one else. And that makes me feel good, simply because he knows my name. And even though I know he'll never feel the same way for me, I don't care, as long as he knows my name..."

I looked at Tristan for a bit longer before deciding what to say.

"Maybe you should tell him. After all, there are two crows over there..."

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[1] Counting Crows is an old English tradition thing that if you counted the crows that you see, they would tell you what would happen to you. I couldn't find the book I have that says exactly how the rhyme goes, so I just used the words from the Counting Crows song "A Murder of One" That band is AMAZING. Especially "Colorblind" it reminds me of Yuki so much...Anyways, the song isn't mine...

[2] Inspired by the fact that I have to dissect a pig for Biology. I REALLY don't want to... I actually LIKE pigs, which is rare for me to even be able stand an animal...

[3] a murder is a name for a group of crows.

(sighs) This was definitely boring...and short...and angst-ish. But it's all that damned school's fault. I hate that place...I hate it bad...Yeah, anyways, I hadn't planned on this chapter to be like this at all, but it just kinda came out, so I was like, whatever. I never really planned on any Tristan/Devlin, but it helps things out and it happens to be one of my best-est friend's fav pairings, so that was for you treana! Sorry for the lack of S/R, but I had to get some stuff out of the way. On the other hand, I plan on writing some more this weekend, probably another chapter...and it'll have S/R stuff in it...I hope... but reviews do a depressed authoress wonders, I sware to you! After you review, maybe you can come up with some diabolical plan to save all the piggies that my evil Biology teacher plans on slaughtering... Evil, evil woman...

Cain: I really didn't get to say much...

I was too busy complaining...maybe you can tell them to review!

Cain: .... Okay, I guess... PLEASE REVIEW!

Good boy Cain...good boy... (OMG that reminds me of 'Babe!' "That'll do pig. That'll do..." I don't want to kill a pig! You can't make me, you can't make me, YOU. CAN'T. MAKE. ME.)


	5. Bless You

O.O I actually got reviews for the last chapter. I didn't really expect any...It was rather boring... Oh well, I'm not complaining!

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a song for jeffrey: Thank you for the review! And I've come up with a theory: All biology teachers are evil and they only become biology teachers so that they can kill little defenseless animals, like piggies. They're only in it for the blood. Yup, evil biology teachers...

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andromeda90: (sniff) that is (sniff) the nicest thing ever...(glomps) Thank you so so so much for the caring, nice, long review. It made me feels sooo much better than what I was feeling. Thank you so much. 12 A.M.?! You should get to bed! You'll end up with a brain tumor! Is that even possible...

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Dark-Angel302: (glomps) thank you for the review! The Tristan and Duke thing just kinda came out on its own. It was like "ragdoll, oh ragdoll, please put us in there. Please? You know that treana would like it and you know that you would like it. Why ignore us..." It was really quite annoying. Oh well, it does make things better, so I'm not complaining...Thank for the review again!

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The Chaotic Ones: I'm still sorry about the movie... It's just such an amazing movie... Oh well, I shall recover! Wow, you lie it 'lots and lots'? That's a lot...(glomps) Thank you so much!

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LadyBloodShedRed: OMG, I love the Blue's Clues with Steve, but I hate Joe. I hate him bad...he's an idiot...and he can't sing. My fav Blue's Clues episode is the one where Blue is telling Steve what she wants to do when Magenta comes over and Steve is a clue. It was so cute! He was so flattered that he was a clue and drew himself. I absolutley loved it. Thank you for reviewing, by the way. It makes me uber happy.

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treana:I'm soo glad you liked the HondaxOtogi-It was all for you! I'm surprised that so many people haven't heard the Crow thing before...maybe I'm just wierd... Oh well, thank you soo much for reviewing! And for the compliments! And for being the most rocking person...EVER!

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So, I think this is where things begin to happen. I kind of had trouble with this chapter. It's probably because of that hell-hole known as school (still plotting the most inconspicuous way to get rid of it...)So yeah... to be truthful, I'm not so sure where I'm going with this... It's changed so much since what I first had in mind...But I do have a general idea, so okay. (Strikes a Shuichi pose) I can do this! Yeah, Cain will now do the disclaimer.

Cain: (sigh) You only ever talk to me when you need something these days...ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other Movie/book/song that may be mentioned or gave her inspiration. It's not hers...

I suppose you want warnings too?

(nod)

Cain: fine...Uhh, shonen-ai (the kissing of the boys), some not so nice words, probably some drama-rama, and Ryou sneezing...again...

Good Cain...

Cain:(sulk)

Oh yeah, does anyone have a problem with me using the dub names? I know and could write the Japanese names if that's what you prefer, but I had just used the dub names since they were shorter... Anyways, if anyone has a major preference, let me know, please!

Chapter 5 "Bless You"

Seto's POV

I stood patiently next to Ryou's locker, waiting for him to finish any type of conversation he might have been having with...what's his name...the one with the hair...Oh yeah, Tristan. 'Wow, I'm getting good at this' I praised myself proudly. Next thing you know, I might just end up being civil to Yugi-tachi... humph, yeah right...

I leaned all my weight to my other foot while still occasionally eying Ryou and the Tristan-kid. They seemed to be talking about the Tristan-thing because Ryou would occasionally nod his head as if in encouragement and touch his arm softly. Just as I thought I that I hated no other person more than that Ryou-stealing-person-thing, none other than Duke Devlin came strolling up besides me. I guess I was wrong about hating that kid the most, especially after the little incident that happened this morning. I glared heatedly at him while keeping most of my attention on Ryou. In return, he cast me one of his carefree looks before focusing his attention back to the duo ahead of us.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a 'not like I really want an answer' tone.

"Waiting for Ryou, we have a project to work on. What are you doing here?" I asked in an equal voice.

"Waiting for Tristan. Said he had something to tell me," he replied while flicking his hair behind his shoulder. I nodded half interested before a thought struck me. Maybe I could get back at him for this morning...

Just as I was about to open my mouth and say something embarrassing, Ryou hugged the other kid in what I assume was nothing more than an encouraging good-bye hug. After saying their little farewells, Ryou came over to where Devlin and I were standing. He looked up at Devlin and gave him a small smile before turning back around giving a larger smile to Tristan-kid. He gave a deep blush before I got bored with the whole scene and turned around to wait for Ryou to get his stuff together.

After cramming all his books into his bag haphazardly, Ryou turned to me, holding up his bag to show he was ready to go. I nodded slightly and softly closed his locker for him while he struggled to walk and buckle the latch on his bag at the same time. I smiled inwardly before taking the bag from him and buckling it for him. He brought his hands together awkwardly, obviously not sure of what to do with his hands without the weight of the bag there. I smiled down at him, placing my hand at the small of his back, leading him to the double doors.

We approached the limo and, like always, I opened the door for him to get in. And like always, he tripped on his own feet before clumsily getting in. I slid in next to him and grinned mostly to myself. It was the same everyday, and I liked that. It was so unlike work where I could never rely on another person not to lose something or not to send the wrong papers. With Ryou, everything stayed just how I liked it. He would trip and rely on me to catch him. It made me feel important to someone, which was a far better feeling than what that hell-hole known as work had ever made me feel.

We sat in silence for the beginning of the car ride before I noticed him looking down at his feet and chewing on his tongue. I wonder what could possibly have him that deep in thought... Maybe it had something to do with the Tristan-monkey. I leaned down to get at an even level with his face before deciding to talk.

"What was wrong with the Tristan-kid?" I asked in a small voice, as to not startle him. He only jumped slightly when he noticed how I had somehow gotten closer to him. He blushed a pretty shade of crimson before replying in his small voice.

"He just had some feelings to work out. And since when do you remember names?"

I looked down at him, taken back by his question. "Well, that is his name, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but I never expected you to actually know his name. But then again, I never thought you knew mine that day," he said smiling at he memory.He seemed to be lost in his thoughts before realizing his surroundings. He blushed lightly before attempting to recover from his previous dazed expression. "Well, you better watch out, or people might start to think that you actually do care underneath all that hostility."

I blinked down at him dazed. He was right, I do care...well to a certain extent. I raised my hand to take my forefinger and poke the end of his cold nose. "Yeah, well you better not tell anyone. Imagine if the mutt got hold of something like that?" I responded playfully, never taking my finger from his nose. He giggled lightly before moving back and pretend to bite at my finger. He sniffled lightly and looked around, obviously in search of a tissue. After not seeing any, he sighed in defeat before leaning back in his seat. I leaned back too, waiting for our arrival.

--------------------------Ryou's POV----------------------------

The limo came to a halt, obviously signaling our arrival. I wonder why the chauffeur doesn't use the little intercom thing to tell us when we arrive. I'm sure it works. Maybe it just gets annoying after a while; "We have arrived, Mr.Kaiba." "Where to next, Mr. Kaiba?" "Would you like fries with that, Mr.Kaiba?" Yeah, that's annoying just thinking about it...

Seto stood outside the opened car door, both suitcase and my bag in hand. He waited while I clumsily made my way out and (as usual) tripped over the edge of the seat. Seto, of course, caught me in midair and helped me up. No matter what I do, I can never seem to make it out of that monstrosity without falling... We slowly made our way up the front steps to the front door. I waited behind Seto, still not really sure of myself when it came to going into his house. It was always so intimidating. He turned the handle and opened the door graciously, waiting for me to come in. I walked in slowly, waiting for him to close the door and once again resume the lead. He gave me a half grin before placing his hand on the small of my back to lead me to the room we would be in today. That small action always gave me butterflies in my stomach and I don't know why. It was always just so reassuring.

We walked on, passing a few different rooms and making many different turns. We never seemed to go to the same room. Every time I came over, we always went somewhere new, much to my disappointment. It had been a long time since I had seen my "Big Comfy Couch" chair. I really liked that chair too...

We stopped in front of a door that looked like it would have come out of an old American house from the Victorian age. He opened the door slowly and ushered me inside. I blinked as my eyes got accustomed to bright lights that contrastedthe dim lighting of the halls. I looked around to see a library with shelf upon shelf full of old fashioned books, all looking like they would take a very patient, smart person to read. Well, duh, I am in Seto's house after all. I looked around, taking in all the small details of the room before a shrill noise interrupted my thought process.

I jumped slightly at the noise and spun around to see a aggravated looking Seto glaring down at the cell phone in his hand. This could not be good. He softly pointed to a seat next to a desk with a computer on top before pushing a button on the still screaming contraption. I sniffed once again, still not quite rid of the cold that was making my life miserable. I looked around the desk for a tissue before before hearing Seto's harsh voice from across the room.

"This had better be good," I flinched at the tone he used to the poor, unfortunate person on the other end of the line. I looked back down at my feet and tried not to listen to the conversation.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Okay, so I couldn't exactly help from hearing the conversation...

"Can't this just wait until tomorrow?" he questioned irritably. After obviously getting an answer, he sighed and said "Fine, I'll get it to you in a few minutes." He set the phone down roughly on the computer desk he somehow made his way to while my head was down. I looked up at him, prepared to offer to leave if there was a problem before he beat me to be the first to speak.

"They somehow managed to lose a document that I just gave to them, so now they need me to send it over. It will only take a moment, but you're free to leave if you wish," he finished looking more than just a little irked (is that a word?) at the fact he had to do something because of someone else's mistake.

I shook my head and responded, "I don't mind waiting, that is if you don't mind me being here."

"Of course not," he responded, sitting down at the computer, turning it on. I leaned back in my chair, still sniffing because of my runny nose. He began to type at a speed I didn't even think was possible. To my disappointment, I once again realized that there were no tissues in the whole room. Admitting defeat, I leaned back once again and gazed at Seto. He had seemed to change so much since I first met him. And I think that he may have made me change for the better too. I'm no longer the sad, little kid in the corner that dreaded the end of the day because that meant going home to an empty house with only the spirit of a tomb robber to keep me company. Not like he ever even acknowledges me anymore anyways... Now, I looked forward to the end of the day because that meant time with Seto. He's became the reason I get out of bed these days. I guess he really did save me. I wish I could do the same for him...

I was lost deep in my thought when I heard a loud crash in what sounded like the next room over. I jumped slightly before I heard a faint "Oops...umm, sorry big brother!" Odd, I didn't even realize that Mokuba was home... I looked over at Seto to see what his reaction would be. His face barely gave signs of a frown, but whether it was from Mokuba breaking something or the work he was forced to retype, I really wasn't sure. He continued to type, completely absorbed in his work. I sniffed once again, setting my attention on the many books around me. Suddenly, I got this odd sensation at the back of my throat. I itched at my nose in hopes of making it go away. It got stronger and stronger until a soft "Achoo" echoed in the large room.

Seto stopped what he was doing and pulled out a box of tissues from one of the side drawers of the desk. Those would have come in handy a while ago... He smiled at me softly before offering me a tissue. "Bless you. Are you okay? You aren't getting sick are you?" I numbly took the tissue that was offered to me while Seto felt my forehead with his hand. I tried to grasp what was just said to me... He just said 'Bless you', didn't he? Please tell me he didn't just say that...

"Ryou... Ryou are you okay? Maybe you should lie down..." I looked up at Seto, absentmindedly nodding my head. I looked down at the tissue in my hand, then over to the half-way finished document on the computer, then back up at Seto. This...this just isn't right. It can't be right...

"I...should maybe...go home..." I said quietly, turning around so Seto's hand was no longer on my back. I really didn't trust my stomach enough to risk any bouts of 'butterflies'. He looked down at me confused.

"Are you sure. Do you need to go to a doctor?"

"Y-yes, I'm sure...besides, you have work to do and I don't want to get you sick and...and...I got to go," I ended abruptly, making my way out the door. This can't be happening. This isn't right. I can't... no I don't... this isn't fair... I made my way through the house, getting lost frequently, before finally arriving at the front door. Great, Seto- no, Kaiba had drove him over. I'll just have to walk then... I stepped outside with a cold rush of wind meeting my face. Just as I made my way down the steps. I heard the door open behind me. I turned around to see a confused Mokuba looking down at me.

"Where are you going? Seto's looking all over the house for you, y'know? Why are you leaving?"

"I...I just have to go home. I'm sick and I don't want to get you sick," I replied with my half-decent lie.

"Oh, well, do you want a ride? I'm sure Seto will give you one-"

"NO! I mean, I'd rather walk. It will...make me feel better..."

"Oh, okay. Do you at least want a coat? It is rather cold," Why does he have to be so helpful...Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept behind me causing my arms to involuntarily wrap themselves around my body.

"S-sure..." I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a jacket in this weather...

Mokuba ran inside the doors quickly. Just as soon as quickly as he had run in, he reappeared with a blue coat in hand and handed it to me softly.

"I hope you get better so you can come over again soon!" He said happily after had retreated back up the steps.

"Yeah...me too..." With that, I walked towards the gates, pulling the over-sized trench coat onto my small body. The long back of it dragged slightly on the ground as the arms slid far past my hands. On the collar was the letters 'S K'

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Ookay then. School is majorly in my way, but I shall not let that stop me! Boring chapter, but hey, it had to be done. It's the only way to get to what is needed. I know that Ryou seems to overreact, but that will be explained in next chapter. So don't think he's psycho-crazy-drama-queen. Or maybe he is...O.O... Anyways, puh-lease review! It makes us happy!

Cain: what do you mean 'us'?

You know it makes you happy too...

Cain: Whatever. Please review so she'll have something to think about during biology. That class is soooo boring...

Yeah! REVIEW!


	6. SpaghettiO Dreams

This is so friggin' unbelievable! I have 40 reviews! Which is 35 more than I expected! I had my hopes on like five so far - one for each chapter. Now I have like 8 times that! I love you all. I love you with every fiber in my body, every cell in my brain, every...foot in my shoe! Which believe me, is a lot!

stas-saffron: I am SO sorry about missing your review last chapter. I feel so so so bad. Fanfiction. net was giving me a hard time... but I'm glad you like the Tristan/Duke pairing! Thank you so much for reviewing!

Dark-Angel302: (cowers) O-okay...please don't yell. We're fragile... (Cain: Oh brother...) But yeah, here's your next chappie! And thank you for the review and just being friggin' awesome! yeah, e-mail if ya get bored or watch for me on IM!

andromeda90: You like biology? Well, you have obviously have never had Mrs.Badgett teach it.... She's psycho....and boring! If you're going to be pyscho, at least have some kind of edge to yourself...(ish confused) who's Gabriel? Is he yummy? I am so confused... But I am glad you understand where my Ryou is coming from! I LOVE getting reviews from you! They are always so happy and long and happy (glomps) You are by far one of the most toe-kicking people out there! I love you and your reviews and your happy gnomes that visit me during biology class. BTW, please don't go into some kind of hysteria fit. It will make me sad... Thanks again!

FurA Smile: Hee hee, cute name.... I love Sagwa too! She's so cute... and talky...but nothing, I said nothing, beats Lambchop. Well, maybe Yu-gi-oh, and Ryou, and Seto, and Gravitation... Okay, so there's a lot that I could think of that tops it, but it's still good! O.O I love that song! Thanks for the review!

sango-irss: Freeze to death? O.O... You scare me...At least you think the story's cute and for that, I give a scarf and mittens. You must live in a very cold world if you want me to freeze... Anyways, thanks uber noodles for reviewing!

Solar: Yes...that evil school of clone machines! I will have my revenge! Mwa ha ha ha.... (cough cough) ) O.O One of the best you ever read? O.O You have go to be kidding me, right? That is...wow...So unbelievably nice, you have no idea how nice that is...that's like the Academy award of reviews (sniff) you have made me the happiest writer in the world. I'm probably happier now then if you wrapped Seto in a box and sent him to me in a Rocky Horror Picture Show costume (which, might I add, are VERY revealing) Anyways, the point, I love you so much! Thank you for the unbelievably nice-ness!

Blue Eyed Angel2: thank you for the review-ness. I just want to say that I love your work, by the way. Sadly, I haven't got to read a lot of it yet, but I do really like what I see! I'm so happy that you like it!

treana: Treana, my buddy, my pal, my care-bear loving paddy ('paddy' is a mix between pal and buddy. See paddy=paddy) Anywho, no one does seem to like Devlin, do they? Hmm, I'll have to do something about that...And of course Tristan will get lucky, think about who we're talking about. If anyone deserves to get some, it's that guy...hee hee, 'get some'...I don't know about 'amazing', but here's your next chapter!

Dark Magician Girl / Hikaru: I love SetoxRyou too! (Cain: imagine that...you're only writing a SxR fic...) Thank you for the review and in return, here's your update!

o.0 : "beautiful slashy Yaoi scene"? I don't know... This is my first fic and I'm nervous enough about writing the kiss scene... Oh, gods, I'll have to do that, won't I?...(goes into a worry seizure) Cain: Great, come on let's go to the emergency room...AGAIN. BTW, She wants to thank you for the review! me: yeah, Thankies!

Ai Baka-san Austra: phew, I'm glad somebody was able to fill me in on 'irked' I hate putting those little notes in, but I had no idea and didn't want to seem dumb... Headphones, huh? (evil grin) I think I will...Thank you sooooo much! Ilove getting reviews from you. They always help me out some way or another! Thanks!

I can't believe how many reviews I have. I feel so special... Like a princess or a movie director (sigh) Oh, and I guess no one has a problem with the dub names, so I'm going to keep using them.

Cain: Whatever, Here's your bloody disclaimer: ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other movie/book/song that may have inspired this. The few things she owns are a few anime DVDs, a pile of mangas, and way too many posters and pictures for one wall to take.

That's rude... Now the warnings.

Cain: (sigh) shonen-ai (the love of the boys, of course), mean, rude words, and a moping Ryou....

And now, on with the show!

Chapter Six:

Ryou's POV

I sat quietly like I always had. Like I was suppose to. Like I did before I met him. It was now Saturday [1]. That meant an entire day since I walked out on him. An entire day I hadn't seen him. An entire day of absolute self-pity. So, that's why I'm sitting here, being pleasantly ignored by Yugi-tachi (not on purpose, of course) and making lists of everything that's going on and putting each subject in as many different words as possible. At first, it worked in keeping my mind off things. Then I started listing things that I did last night. Big mistake. And for once, I'm glad Yugi-tachi doesn't pay much attention to me, or else they would have seen the few tears that I couldn't stop from trailing my face. Of course, I could have blamed it all on the cold that was still intent upon making my life as horrible as possible.

I rubbed my eyes and pulled tissue from my pocket to hold to my nose. I didn't get much sleep last night, mostly due to the fact that I really didn't want to sleep. As soon as I had gotten home last night, I heated up a bowl of Spaghetti-O's and lied down on the couch to eat them, still wrapped up in his coat. I curled into a ball and ate a small amount of the warm pasta before I layed the bowl on the coffee table and dozed off.

The next thing I can remember is standing on the edge of a lime green surface. I gazed below me to see a sea of spaghetti sauce and a million 'O's. Then, I saw the one thing that kept me up all night- Seto. Not just any Seto, no, he was wearing a maroon [2] bathing suit and swimming through the many 'O's while calling out for me. If that wasn't weird enough, I looked down at myself to see the same bathing suite. The only difference was that I was covered in the same coat that I was sleeping with in reality. That, and I had 'scissorhands' for some reason.

Seto was sitting in an 'O' like it was a pool toy and talking to me, but what he was talking about, I'm not sure. I leaned closer, trying to hear what he was saying when I felt myself slide forward. I tried to grab onto the edge, but the sleek metal of my hands wouldn't grab anything. I closed my eyes, waiting to be plunged into the sauce beneath me when I felt two strong arms around my middle. I looked around to see Seto smiling and staring into my eyes. I tried to get away, but he held onto me tighter, refusing to let me go. I looked back into his eyes and attempted to ask him a question. Just as was about to question him, he placed his finger to my mouth, just like I had witness him do to Mokuba that faithful day. He smiled once again before placing his finger to the end of my nose. He leaned closer to me, allowing our foreheads to touch, before he whispered in the softest voice, "We are what we are."

I shuddered at the memory. I woke up immediately after that, wrapped up in the bottom of the trench coat and covered with sweat. I rolled over, only to realize that I slept on the couch two seconds too late as I hit the floor with a 'thud'. It was only one thirty in the morning at that point. From that point on, I stayed wrapped up in his coat, and staring at the different lines on the wall across from me. I remember dozing off once or twice, but immediatly jerking awake. Why? I don't know. There was nothing exceptionally scary about the dream, nothing that was worst then what I dreamed sometimes. It was just...it scared me. I must have fallen asleep at some time though, because I woke up to the ringing of the telephone. I trudged myself over to the end table where it sat and answered it without thinking. I choked on my words as the fear that it may be Seto on the other side washed over me. Much to my relief, it wasn't Seto on the other end of the phone, but Tristan instead.

"Hey, Ryou? Are you there? Ryou?"

"Huh, oh yeah?" I answered while suppressing a yawn. Needless to say, I was more than a little aggravated that he was calling this early in the morning. What time is it anyways? I glanced across the room at the clock that was hanging on the wall to see it read one thirty. Okay, so it wasn't that early...

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere with me today? I...I need someone to talk to," he admitted defeated. Needless to say, I really didn't want to go anywhere, but it's like they say, 'Misery loves company'.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" I questioned after a moment of hesitation.

"Why don't we meet at the gameshop? I have to go over there anyways. Meet you there in an hour?" he finished rather rushed.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you then," I replied before getting up to stretch my cramped legs.

"Okay, bye," he ended and hung up. I did the same and walked over to the couch where I collapsed. I glared at the bowl that still sat in the table, as if everything was it's fault. It probably was! I mean, come on. What kind of dream had a giant bowl of Spaghetti-O's? It's probably some kind of subliminal messaging... yeah that's it...

Eventually, I stood up to get ready to go. I washed up and changed clothes. I debated on whether to take the coat with me, but in the end, I decided against it. Why do I even want his coat anyways? Precisely, I don't...

'Keep telling yourself that' I jumped slightly at the sudden comment from my Yami, but soon calmed down enough to realize he was no where around. That was odd, he hadn't spoken to me for the better part of a year now. Oh well, I had enough problems to deal with without having to worry about him too. I softly folded the coat and set it on my bed before walking downstairs to get my own jacket.

I walked outside and the next thing I knew, I was here. Listing things in my head and renaming them. What a life. I glared down at my watch to see that I had been trapped here for fifteen minutes more than I was supposed to be. I glared up at Tristan to see him eying the door, as if waiting for the exact moment it would be best to escape. We where simply supposed to come here, say 'Hi' to everyone, and leave. But no, Joey and his mouth wouldn't allow that. He just had to drag us into the little 'group' and watch him duel Yugi's Yami for the millionth time this week.

What did I do to get in this position? Did I do something to deserve this? This is all that stupid cold's fault. If it wasn't for that, I would probably be at Seto's, sitting in the "Big Comfy Couch', working on a project. But no, I had to get a cold and sneeze. Maybe I did overreact a bit. Yeah, I'm sure anyone here would do just as Seto did. Yeah, that's it! Then, I could go back to Seto and everything will be okay, because I know what's going on. Let's see, who's all in here? Yami Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea...one of them are bound to notice if I sneeze. I pulled the tissue away from my face and gave the most realistic sneeze I could muster at the moment. I Iooked around expectantly only to see everyone's attention set on the duel (except Tristan, he was still gazing at the door). This time I sneezed much louder, and obviously a lot more fake. I looked around once again only to see the same look on everyone's face. I scowled deeply and plunged into the back of my seat.

"Hey, Ryou. Here's a tissue. Don't wanna get the rest of us sick," Joey offered in his loud voice. I took the tissue from him with a scowl on my face. Great, just great. If they aren't completely ignoring me, they're only worried about themselves. Of course, that's in Joey's nature to say something like that, but still. Is it too much that I'm asking for? All I wanted was a bless you, but no. I growled softly at he back of my throat and kicked the table withmy foot. I stared lifelessly at the duel, waiting for it to be over so I can get out of here.

Finally, Yami put down some random card, causing Joey to groan in defeat. At that sign, Tristan jumped up and grabbed my arm, dragging me to the door.

"Well, that was fun! See you later!" and with that, the door was slammed and I was unceremoniously dropped from my position of being half carried, half dragged behind him. Tristan let out a frustrated sigh and continued to walk. I followed close behind, not really sure where we were going.

We finally stopped as we approached the parking lot of the mall. I gave Tristan an incredulous look, but he just shrugged his shoulders and walked in the front entrance. I stood glaring at him for a moment before I walked after him, intent upon not getting left behind. He led me to a small table in the food court where he sat in a seat across from the one I had already seated myself in. He looked down at his hands which sat on top of the table. Deciding that I really didn't want to sit here all day, I made the decision to talk.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" I questioned like I didn't already know the answer.

"Well, it's about Duke. I-I keep trying to tell him how I feel, but, I can't. I'm too afraid to. Like the first time I asked to talk to him, I ended up chickening out and bailing on him. Then, I thought I finally had the nerve up to tell him, and Joey just had to come barging in and ruined it all. I don't think I can do it. It's too hard, I'm too scared. I don't know why I even bother to try. He'll never like me as a person, non-the-less a boyfriend. It's not fair..." he trailed off with tears set in his eyes. I looked across at him sympathetically. He really did have it bad. I put my hand on top of his in hopes of comforting the crying boy when Malik came up to our table. He gave a half smile to me before sitting in the seat next to mine. I wasn't really sure what he was doing here, but I assumed he was in the same boat as Tristan and me. I was moping because of what happened with Seto. Tristan was moping because he couldn't confess his love for Duke. Malik was moping because...well, that's just what Malik does, he mopes. As if it was planned, we all let out a simultaneous sigh and leaned back in our chairs. I looked from Tristan's tear-streaked face to Malik's contemplative one. I looked around at the stores that surrounded us, in hope of finding something to take our minds off our problems. I studied everything that surrounded us, from a music store to an American Eagle clothing store. I sighed again, not really finding and interesting topic in either of the two stores. I turned my head to see a clothing store obviously aimed for toddlers and infants. I smiled to myself about the small, pink jumper made from corduroy that hung to the plastic mannequin in the window.

"I wish someone would have a baby so I could dress it up in little outfits like that," I said, pointing to the child's outfit. My plan obviously worked because both Tristan and Malik looked up to see what I was talking about. Tristan gave a small grin. Malik, on the other hand, was smiling widely. He stood up from the table swiftly and gave a jovial smile.

"Well, you don't have to tell me twice," he said with a grin still on his face. He gave me a thumbs up and began to walk away.

"Uhh, I was just kidding, Malik," I told him uncertainly. He gave a small grin as his tan face was tinged with pink. He sat back down and looked at his hands.

"Why are you here, anyways?" Tristan asked curiously from across the table. He gave a small grin while thinking his answer through.

"Well, I saw you guys over here all sad, so I decided to be sad too. But when he mentioned making babies, I suddenly got really happy," he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I eyed him warily before shaking my head. Tristan and I exchanged glances before I got up and slid on my jacket. Tristan followed my lead and we both gave our good byes to Malik. We began to make our way out of the mall, avoiding the people who were doing their Christmas shopping and the many frantic children showing their parents exactly what they wanted for Christmas. We were almost to the exit when we were suddenly stopped by a rosy-cheeked Mokuba. I glanced out the nearest window to see that it had begun to snow and unconsciously gripped my coat tighter. Then the realization of who it was struck me and I began franticly searching for any sign of the young boy's brother. After not seeing him, I looked down at Mokuba to see him exchanging words with Tristan. When they were done, Mokuba looked over at me and gave a grin that was too innocent to be natural. Despite what everyone thinks, I know that kid is not that innocent. I just know it...

"Hey Ryou, I thought you were sick. Why are you out in this kind of weather?" he asked in one short breath.

"I-I began to feel better," I half mumbled, stuttering slightly. He grinned up at me with a certain glow in his eyes.

"Okay then, I'll tell big brother that you feel better and you can come back over and-"

"NO- I mean, I don't think I'm that much better..." I interrupted the boy. Why does he have to be so 'helpful'?

"Oh, okay... It's just that he was really upset when you left the other day. It was so bad that he didn't even care that I was accidentally playing soccer in the house and somehow, something got broke.[3] Do you plan on coming back?" he finished, looking at me conspicuously. Needless to say, I wasn't really comfortable...

"I'm sure I will soon, Mokuba," I lied rather easily. I had no plans of going back there, at least not soon.

"Oh, okay! Bye then!" he exclaimed happily while hugging me around my middle. I told him my good-byes as he finally let me go. He walked off to, no doubt, finish his shopping. I risked a glance at Tristan to see a bemused look on his face.

"Do you care to explain?" he questioned as we walked out the automatic doors.

"No, not really," I replied with a sigh, pulling my jacket around myself tighter.

[1] I know that in Japan, they have school on Saturday, but for the sake of fiction, let's act like they don't, okay?

[2] Colors based on 'Fairydust' By Pikachumaniac. Ch.6 "The ugly Umbrella". If you haven't read it, you should.It's what got me hooked on SetoxRyou! Anyways, the color idea is hers and I don't own. I hope she doesn't mind me using the colors...

[3] A quote from Digimon, season two. My dear little Davis said that, that he did. I just had to use it...

Yup, well, there's the next chapter. I really don't like it, but hey, that hasn't stopped me before, has it? I am really tired right now and really want to sleep, but I have my heart set on updating this before I have to go and do my Biology project. I hope it wasn't too bad. Nothing really happened and Malik seemed a bit dumb, but there needed to be some kind of comic relief, so hey. I feel sleepy...

Cain: (looks over at sleeping ragdoll) I guess I'll have to finish this for her. Please review for us! It makes life a hundred times better, we promise. It makes ragdoll really sad when there aren't any reviews, and when she's sad, she's really annoying, so do me a favor and review, PLEASE. Yeah, thank you all and good night. (runs off to go to bed with ragdoll - not like that, you hentai people)


	7. Winter Angels

Jesus Christ on a Cross! Okay, I am now at a point that I never thought in a million years I would be at... I have 50 reviews. Yes, you heard correct, 50. Why you may ask. Are people plotting against me? Is this just some part of a huge government conspiracy? Is the entire world on crack? These are all very good questions, and I assure that the answers are out there. All I know is that I, ragdoll, have 50 reviews. I can now die a decently happy person! Thank you all so so so sooooo much .

Dark-Angel302: Maybe Mokuba is up to something... or maybe not...or maybe ragdoll hasn't decided yet.... You may never know... yeah, thank you for the review!

Ai Baka-san Austra: Yes, I agree, poor, poor Otogi of the dice world.He doesn't understand, he is shmall... I have no idea why I just said that... Hmm, I think I may have to end up making Mokuba plan something, everyone seems to think so... I think I will... oh, Ryou had scissorhands because of the movie... that and I had a similar dream... (sigh) yes, biology is hell... oh well, I will survive it's evil-ness... I hope....

andromeda90: Of course I like your poems, why wouldn't I? They're really good! YES, write more Seto/Ryou poems! I need them, I need them bad (goes into spaz attack). Cain: Hmm (pokes with stick) I might as well finish this... thank you for the review! And, LONG LIVE DAVIS/KEN! Mwa ha ha ha...

Safforn-Starlight: Yeah, you reviewed again! You're so mysterious... it's so cool! Cain: Don't listen to her, it's to the point where nothing even makes sense anymore... poor thing... Thanks anyways!

treana: treana, my love, my darling, my 'paddy', thank you so much for reviewing (bows) It is a great honor. I wuv you! (glomps) YOU ARE THE GREATEST! Yeah, uh... okay! Thanks a million for the review!

Solar: Pfff, yeah I know. Stupid thing they call school that deprives me of my right of a life of unlimited fanfiction... DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL! Now that that's over... I didn't make Malik too dumb, did I? It's just how I kinda see him. During the series, he was all dark and broody. To me, after all the bad things, he's really just a silly person. Then again, I am an idiot, so whatever... Thanks for the review!

The Chaotic Ones: Here's your 'more as possible'! Hope you likey!

Yami-loverOB1: I plan to explain all of Ryou's little quirks today! I don't think he's that crazy...maybe he is... I dunno... Thank you for the review! I love reviews! I love them bad...

Okay, now it's explaining time... a lot of people asked about the dream so here it is... Scissorhands because of the movie they watched, spaghetti-o's because I like them, what Seto said because I like the way it sounds, the coat...well, duh, Umm Seto is also a well duh, and I think that's it... Truthfully, I just had a similar dream (minus the Seto, add Elijah Wood and Ricky-poo [drool]) So yeah. That's the story.

I hope I didn't make Malik too dumb. To me, that's just how he would be... He was all dark and broody during the time he was there, so I figured that while he wasn't being mean, he would be all simple and happy. But then again... I'm an idiot, so yeah...

Now Cain, do the disclaimer!

Cain: ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any other movie/book/or song that may have inspired this. It's not hers, not at all...

and now for the disclaimer...

Cain: (sigh) shonen-ai ( boys being boys...together), rude words, and some more drama-rama probably...

Chapter 7 Winter Angels

Ryou's POV

I glared down at the piece of paper that had somehow found it's way to the top of my desk. I poked at it uneasily before cautiously turned towards the people that surrounded me. Needless to say, I had my suspicions of who it was from. I slowly turned to my left to examine the person that still haunted my dreams. Seto sat two seats away from me, staring to the emptiness. I've never seen him stare like that. He always had his laptop in front of him or a book. I never saw him just sit back and let everything go. Normally, I would be glad that he was allowing himself to be human, but this time, he seemed so... sad. He just sat there, not even glaring at Joey as he walked into the room loudly. Just sitting and staring out the window, almost as if it could solve any and all problems he had. He seemed so far away, even if there was only one seat between us. But now, a seat seemed like a mile. But still, it truly is amazing the difference that one seat could make. It's just enough to make me feel safe enough to sit without nervously twisting my hands or to not wait in vain for him to touch the end of my nose gently like he did before. But just barely... maybe one seat wasn't that far after all...

Why am I thinking about him anyways? I promised myself that I could make it through the day and not even think about him. Of course, this was after I sat and cried into his jacket for a good three hours. Maybe I really am a hopeless case... probably. It's just that...well I... I don't want to be in... love. Oh gods, I just said that word didn't I? But, I can't love Seto. He's..it's not right. He's perfect and I'm... well, not. Why do I always get myself in these types of situations? I've always lived for what can't be, and here I am doing it again. He'll never l-love me. All I'm doing is asking to be hurt. Plain and simple. The hardest thing in the world is having to spend everyday so close to someone that you know that you can never really be close to. I can't do it. I'm not strong enough, I'm too much of a coward. But I prefer it that way. I once heard a quote that said 'I would rather be a coward than brave because people hurt you when you are brave.' [1] And I guess it's true. It's just... why did I fall in love if knowing that I can't have it hurts so much?

I guess I love to know that I'm not alone...

I glanced back down at the untouched note on my desk. I slowly unfolded it to see (much to my relief, but dismay at the same time) a small, untidy scroll. Definitely not Seto's writing. I read the small note that had "Meet me at lunch?" written sloppily across it. I pried my eyes away from the still oblivious Seto to look at who could have possibly written the note. I turned my head to look behind Seto to see an unwelcomed sight: Devlin. Not that I don't like him, mind you. He's just so loud and in-your-face. Not exactly what I needed at the moment...

I looked back down at the note to realize that it was in fact Devlin's handwriting. He must have realized that I was watching him because the next time I looked up, he was winking at me and had his lips puckered slightly, as if to blow me a kiss. Typical Devlin... I felt my face go red while he laughed slightly. He gave me one last grin before mouthing silently across the room "Well, are you coming?" I glanced at Seto one last time before mutely nodding my head.

---------Later at lunch----------

I walked silently towards the cafeteria since it was snowing outside and the teachers wouldn't let us outside to eat. I don't see why not. I don't mind sitting in the snow. But then again, I'm probably still suffering the cold from hell because I walked to school in that same snow. I really didn't have choice though. I didn't know whether Seto was planning in picking me up this morning, so in order to avoid him like I planned, I walked to school thirty minutes early. I wasn't going to take any chances...

I entered the crowded the lunchroom, setting my eyes on Devlin and walking swiftly towards him. He amazingly found an uncrowded corner and was currently messing around with some dice. I sat down in front of him softly, as to not disturb any of his dice tricks that I was currently gawking at. He looked up at me softly and gave me a soft smile that was certainly not like the usual Devlin. I eyed him slightly before dropping my gaze to his hands that were still working with the dice.

"You and Tristan are close, right?" he questioned suddenly. I looked up form his hands to give him a quizzical look.

"Well, yeah. We are pretty close," I replied confused. I really hope Tristan hasn't made a fool of himself somehow. I know he hasn't confessed anything yet... or maybe he couldn't keep it in anymore and just told him everything. No... Tristan wouldn't do that... Then what does Devlin want? Does he want to talk about me?

"Well, do you what's wrong with him? He doesn't talk anymore, he's hardly around, he doesn't even care when I taunt him. He always look as if he will burst into tears at any moment. I'm... worried about him." he said while looking down at his hands. I should have known... it's never about me...

I thought about what he was asking. He was worried about Tristan. Genuinely worried. Maybe the world really is coming to an end. Hmm, that would be nice right about now...

"Why does it matter to you? You never payed much attention to him anyways, at least not in a positive way. Why do you care?" Wow, that was unusually assertive of me. Well done, Ryou. You're getting better at this. And you're also talking to yourself...

I looked back up at Devlin to see him staring out the nearby window blankly. It's amazing how two people can look exactly alike without having any physical features in common... -He- had the same look in his eye...

"Well..." Devlin began slowly, "sometimes you don't realize that you need something until it leaves you..."

"...Oh..." Okay, Duke Devlin misses Tristan. The world should come falling down at any moment now...

I looked up from my twisting hands to see Devlin gazing out the window again.

"You know, I think I figured it out... Thanks Bakura. You really know how to help a guy out. Speaking of which, what's wrong with you?" He finished brightly. I think I need to talk to Tristan about having Devlin checked for being bipolar or split personality or...something. That's just not normal....

"Well, what do you mean? I've had a cold for a while now..."

"Not, not that," he cut me off, "You've just been so..." the word you're looking for is mopey... "mopey," he finished. Maybe he should be checked for telepathy too...

"It's nothing..." I answered, not really wanting to get into that right now.

"Then why don't I believe you?" he questioned while taking the dice back in his hands.

"Really, I'm fine..."

"If you insist...Thanks again for listening to me Bakura. It really helped. I have something I need to take care of now... " he stood up from the table and began to walk away. Before he was too far away for me to hear, he called to me in a soft voice, "Just remember, even unrequited love has its rainbow."

Seto's POV

I walked listlessly down the halls, not really caring whether I ran into anyone or not. It really didn't matter. I haven't seen Ryou all weekend. Sure, I've seen him in class, but every time I did see him, his head's down and he staring at the floor as if his life depended on it. Sure it may have only been a few days since I've seen him, but I don't think that's what's hurting so bad... I think he's avoiding me. And the worst part is, I don't know what I did. I can't think of anything that I could have possibly done. But then again, I am the heart-less cold bastard, so who knows... I tend to mess everything up, some way or another. Even then that's not what hurts the most. I... I think that I may be in love with him... Why? I don't know, I really don't know. Can this mean that I've completely lost it? But then that brings up the question of whether I ever had anything to lose in the first place. Within him I lose myself, without him, I find myself wanting to be lost again. Does that even make sense? I sometimes think that nothing makes sense anymore. Maybe that's the problem, there's no logic left in the world. There has to be something logical in the world... science. Science is logical. So is gravity. But can gravity really be to blame for my love? I don't think so. But then again, I don't know anything about love. I don't think that he does either... I just know that he has some kind of defense, a defense much like mine, that won't allow me near him... I wish...I wish I didn't think so much. I wish that I knew what to do. I wish he would let me near...

But most of all, I wish I had met him as a small child, without all his armor to fend off the world. I would have kept him underneath my wing. I would have protected him from everyone and everything. I know I sound so random these days, but that's what he does to me. All sense of reason has left me and I'm deserted alone, finding my way back. And when I go there, I try to take him with me because it's all I can do. But I know that he doesn't need me to and I know he doesn't love me. And I really wish that I could walk away and forget everything that I feel, everything that we have, but I can't. Because I know that he won't come after me and I guess that's what hurts the most...

I shook my head slightly, as if in hope that all the thoughts would go away somehow. There's no point in being like this. I've gone my entire life without anyone to lean on, I can do it now too... No I can't... I guess you never really know what you're missing until it leaves... Hmph, now I sound like some kind of romance novelist. Great, just great...

I pushed past a group of people who, for some reason, seem to think that the hall is for having social gatherings with twelve different people at one time. I received many glares, but it's nothing that I'm not use to. I walked further along, passing many more people and getting many more glares, until I came to a large window that faced the front of the school. Outside was pure white. Anything that hadn't been moved for five minutes was covered in an layer of the untouched snow, covering everything in what must have been a cold blanket. The only thing that was distinguishable from the snow was the few people that had the misfortune to have to walk home. I glanced casually from a girl with long red hair to a younger boy who was playfully picking up handfuls of the snow and throwing it straight over his and the girl's head, sprinkling the girl's bright hair with speckles of white. I was about to start on my way back through the halls when somethingcaught my eye.

Ryou.

If it wasn't for his over-sized, blue coat, I probably never would have seen him. I remember a long time ago, when we had just moved in with Gozaburou[2], Mokuba would ask me to read to him every night. Every time I would sneak in there, he would pull out the same book and I would read to him until he fell asleep before sneaking back to my room. The book that he would always pick was about the different types of fairies and angels, I think. I never really knew why it appealed to Mokuba so much, but I never really asked. I remember one night, I had snuck in like always and opened the book to the marked page to begin reading from where we left off. On the page was a painting if a beautiful woman with pale skin and white hair. She wore a long white gown that hung gracefully to body and slid past her hands. The only thing that wasn't white about her was her eyes which were a stunning color of blue. Every part of her looked like the snow, almost like you could lose her if you were to ever take her outside during a snow storm. She looked like she needed to be protected... I remember that I sat looked at that picture for what seemed like hours until Mokuba spoke up.

"Which one is she?" he questioned in a soft voice, as if afraid of waking Gozaburou who was asleep all the way at the other end of the building. I studied the picture a moment longer before looking at the loopy cursive that was above her portrait.

"She's a Winter Angel, Mokie. It says that she's quiet and shy, but is considered one of the nicest angels there are."

He gasped at the picture before bringing his hand to the book. "Is she the one that makes snow?" he questioned. I nodded in answer, laughing inwardly at the boy's amazement."When we get out of here, big brother, I want to move to a place where it snows every year. And I want to build my own snow angel and we can name her Cleo. And when it gets too cold, we go inside and watch Cleo from the house, just to make sure she doesn't fly away until winter is completely over. And then we can be happy..." I remember watching as Mokuba traced over her picture with his finger as if trying to memorize every line that made up the portrait. I don't remember much after that though, just the picture of the angel. I cleared my mind of the memory and began began to walk out the door, in hopes of catching Ryou before he was completely gone. I half sprinted to where he was walking by himself, with the jacket pulled tightly around himself. I called out his name, but I doubt he would be able to hear. Just as I was about to be caught up with him, I noticed him turn suddenly and walk back towards the school. He really does confuse me sometimes...

I decided to slow down, he obviously wasn't going home yet so there was no use in running. I followed him as he walked a little further ahead, not really paying attention to where we where going. It wasn't until he stopped that I took my eyes off of him to see our surroundings. In front of him, Yugi-tachi was sitting under a snow-covered tree, flinging snow at one another. I came to a stop, ensuring that there was a safe distance between the two of us. After a moment of hesitation, Ryou walked up to the group, still clutching to the familiar looking coat. They exchanged greetings and Ryou sat down in the snow, shivering. I fought internally with myself for a moment before approaching the small group.

As soon as I made myself known, Ryou looked up, pain spread across his beautiful features. I felt my head drop slightly, knowing that I somehow was the cause of it before pushing any of those thoughts away. I looked back at Ryou, not really caring that the pain was probably showing through on my face too. He really was beautiful, he blended right in with the snow. His long end of his coat was spread out around him and his legs were crossed over another. We continued to stare at one another until that Tristan-monkey spoke up.

"Kaiba, maybe you should go..." he said, glancing at Ryou, obviously seeing the pain in the boy's face.

"Ryou, please, I really need to talk with you. I... I can't... I need you to listen to me, please," I said, choosing to ignore the Tristan-monkey. I kept my eyes on Ryou, who now had unshed tears in his eyes. I began to come near him, in hopes of comforting him, but was stopped suddenly by the mutt.

"Get lost, Kaiba. He obviously doesn't wanna talk to ya, so go before you end up making things worse!" he glanced back at Ryou, as I did the same. He looked up at me, a tear streaming down his face, looking almost hopeful that I would go without a fight. I felt a burning sensation reach my eyes as he took the end of the damp coat that wrapped around his body to wipe the tear from his face. I hung my head in defeat and walked away before any of them could see my pain. I heard a small gasp as I began to walk away, but didn't bother to see who it was.

I miserably approached my car and opened the door for a nonexistent person before getting in myself and letting the tears fall. I always had liked that jacket...

[1] Quote from E.M. Forster

[2] ...hope I spelled that right....

All righty then, here's the boring chapter that took forever for me to write. I was sooo busy last week, but I finally finished it! Yup, I

'decided' to make it a little longer since it was late.

Cain: Actually, that just kind of happened, don't believe anything she says...

Yeah, anyways, I have a huge favor to ask.

ATTENTION! Will anyone help? I need some opinions. What do you think of a Seto/Ryou fic set in 1915-ish time? I have this one scene that popped into my head and I really want to write it. And I just know that it's set in the 1915 time era. I just know it... Anyways, I just wanted to get some opinions before I began to plot it out and everything. I don't want to fall in love with the idea and have no one like it... So please help! If you could tell me in a review or even e-mail it if you want. I just don't want to get even more attached to this and have my dreams squashed...poor dreams... but yeah... PLEASE REVIEW!

Cain: Yeah, please do, it helps get her through the week. If there are lots of reviews, she may even have the next chapter out on Wednesday! You know you want it....

TOODLES


	8. Broken Smiles

**Yami-loverOB1**: Will they get together? I dunno, well, I DO know, but well, y'know. Isn't the suspense killing ya?

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**andromeda90**: Yeah, go Duke! (gasp) You're sick?! Oh you poor thing, here is an update to make it all better! P.S. Sadly, I do not know much about Sailor Moon. I watched when I was a child, but when you're like seven, you don't really care for plots --; But I would love to see more YGO from you!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**Relinquished**: I cannot believe that you read my story (dies) I remember reading all your stories before I even thought about posting or anything... (bows) this is truly an honor. Anyways, thank you for reading and for reviewing on my story! It made me so happy! Thanks!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**treana**: Hmm, I'm glad you like the Otogi/Honda-ness. I wrote it with you in mind! Anywho, thanks a million for all the nice words and such! Cain: (glomps) We wuv you soooo bad!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**Saffron-Stralight**: (cowers) O-okay, I'll continue... I DON'T WAN TOT LIVE IN THE SHADOW REALM! THAT'S WHERE THE MONSTERS LIVE! And I just know that that's where DBZ came from, I just know it (shudders)

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**a song for jeffrey**: I am so glad to have you back! We missed you! So sorry to hear about your computer. Ed (my computer) and I went through some rough times too, huh Ed? (pats Ed's monitor) But where okay now...Thanks for the review! And you got me a present?! O.O It's beautiful! (Cries) Thank you so much! I have worked my entire life for something like this! I would like to thank Cain and my anime collection and Elijah Wood, but most of all, I want to thank you!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**The Chaotic Ones**: Did Ryou and Tristan seem mean? Hmm, I'll have to explain that then... But yeah, I'll also try to explain why Ryou is everyone's "sounding board". (sigh) I dunno what I'd do without your reviews. I would probably be in a sad world where you curl into corners and cry for fun... Anywho, thank-a-million for the review!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**Ashuri chan** : (sniff) I know how you feel... I wanted to cry and I was the one writing it... WHY AM I SO CRUEL?! Ah, who knows? Cain: Oh, I do! I do! (grasps hand over mouth) No one needs to know that.... Anywho, thanks for the review!

**.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.**

**Hibiscus Pink**: You think 'No' on the 1915's? I thought it would work because of the bohemian age and stuff... But thanks for opinions all the same! ...sex?... O.o I dunno... (sweatdrop) I don't think i can pull that off. I can barely pull off writing the fic... hmm... Thanks for reviewing!

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

**Blue Eyed Angel2**: Wow, I was just about to post when I got your review! Cool! Anywho, on to matters of business... (glomps) I MISSED YOU! I'm sorry to hear about your computer. Everybody seems to be having problems with theirs lately... But Ed is doing okay, aren't you girl? (Pats monitor)

Cain: Don't ask. Yes, she did name her computer. And yes, it is supposedly a girl. And yes, she did name it Ed. Why? I don't know, I don't even know anymore...

(glare) DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT! Anywho, glad to hear your back and well! Hope your computer blues get better. And thanks for the review and opinion on the fic! I appreciate it greatly! And I'm glad to hear that my fic doesn't give you a headache! lol

**.oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo. .oOo.**

Now Cain, you know the drill...

Cain: (sigh) ragdoll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any other movie/book.or song that might have inspired this. She'll never be that smart...

Warnings: uh, the kissing-of-the-boys (aka: shonen-ai), some exceptionally rude words, and a frustrating misunderstanding....

Ohhh, I love you Cain! Anywho, on with the fic! I know that I said that I would update sooner, but I have been sooooo busy and the only time that I had to write produced total and complete crap. I mean, it was worse than usual! I just refused to lower myself to that level...and I just finished the chapter, literally just wrote the last word, when my sister came up and got mad at me so she hit the keyboard and the mouse and hit something, causing the entire thing to shut done and lose everything. I didn't even have a chance to save anything and then it was gone, just like the wind, just like the Jackson 5, just like A Flock of Seagulls... Oh how I cried...

**Chapter 8 "Broken Smiles" **

**Seto's POV**

I walked half-heartedly up the stairs in hopes of just making it to my room without letting Mokuba seeing me like this. I'm his older brother, therefore I have to be strong. But I really just can't be strong right now...

So far, my mission was a success and I had made it all the way up the stairs, almost to my room. Just as I was beginning to praise myself for a job well-done, Mokie came out from my room carrying an assortment of winter gloves and scarfs. He ran up to me, dropping all the forgotten clothing. He grasped me around my waist in a tight hug before looking up at me curiously.

"Seto, are you sick? Your eyes are all red. And have you seen Ryou? I saw him the other day. He was sick too. I saw a movie today. Do you want to go outside?" I looked down at Mokie, trying to take in everything that he just said in. I gave a half nod, half shrug in response to the first part of his interrogation, not really wanting to talk about that at the moment. I glanced back over at forgotten pile of clothing before swooping the young boy up in my arms and making my way to the small mountain of mittens.

"Why do you want to go outside when we could just stay in here? Besides, it's snowing. You don't want to get sick, do you? Why don't we just watch a movie?" I questioned while still holding him in my arms. He gave a slight frown before struggling to get out of my arms. Admitting defeat, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a harmless glare.

"But Seto, we still haven't made Cleo this year. And you did promise," He replied with a small pout in his face. Why does fate hate me so much? Why today of all days does he decide to bring that up. I need to go crawl in a hole...

I risked a glance back down at the younger boy to see the pout was still in place. I rolled my eyes in defeat before giving sighing in reply. He squealed with delight before digging through the discarded clothes. He pulled out a yellow scarf, gray mittens, and a purple hat that had a large, gray poof ball on top of it. Needless to say, it seemed out of place to have come out of my room.

Having collected all that he needed, Mokuba grabbed my arm and dragged me down the steps to the front closet where we keep jackets and outdoor shoes. He pulled my shoulders down so that my face was level with his as he perched the odd hat on top of my head, followed by the yellow scarf. To finish it off, he slid the mittens halfway onto my hands, then stood back to examine me. He then flung the closet door open and dove into the many hanging coats. He rummaged around, obviously in search of something while I patiently leaned my weight to one foot. After a moment or so of searching, he emerged from the cluttered mess with a slight frown on his face.

"Seto, where is your blue trench coat? It's too cold for any of these other ones. Is it in your room?" I blinked down at him, attempting to decipher what he was saying. I seemed to be two steps behind everything lately.

"My blue trench coat... I... I don't know..." I lied uneasily. Oh gods, why today? Why...

"You don't know? Did you lose it? But big brother, you never lose stuff. Did you leave it in the limo? We'll look for it when we get out there. Here, wear this one instead," he replied, pulling a coat out of the closet easily. I blinked down at the coat before sliding it on my body. Why didn't he just offer this one to me in the first place? I pulled the coat completely before moving my arms around to get use to the feel of it. It wasn't anything special, but the fact remained that it wasn't my jacket. I felt so... kind of like an alien in it. Just so not right... I shook my head slightly, removing any thoughts I had before. It's just a stupid jacket. nothing more. So what if he has it and just happens to wear it. It doesn't matter... Yeah, it doesn't matter...

I looked back down at Mokuba to see him attempting to pull a bright yellow jacket on over his head so he wouldn't have to take the time to undo the buttons. Rolling my eyes, I reached over to undo the buttons while he struggled to escape from the constricting jacket. Ah soon as he felt my fingers struggle with the buttons (it's not so easy to do when you have on mittens), he stopped waving his arms that were currently sticking straight up in the air through the arms of the jacket. After a moment of battle with the stubborn row of buttons, Mokuba peeked his head out, taking in a deep breath of oxygen dramatically. I rolled my eyes while playfully hitting him on the head. He giggled slightly before pulling the rest of his clothing on and making his way towards the door.

"Come on Setooooo," he whined, emphasizing on the last part of my name, "you take too long. It'll be spring time by the time you get out here. Pleeeeaaaasssseee hurry."

"If your in such a hurry, go out there and start on your own. I'll only be a minute."

He gave a small humph before reaching for the door, "Fine then, I will," he replied stubbornly. As he disappeared from sight, I turned back to the closet in hopes of finding a different jacket to wear. This one just wasn't working. I continued to rummage through the now trashed closet, searching in vain for any jacket that even resembled the one a certain white-haired boy now possessed. How did he get it anyways? I certainly don't remember giving it to him. And why was he even wearing it? I know he has other jackets, I've seen him carry them around plenty of times. it just doesn't make sense...

I slammed the closet door in defeat. I would just have to live with this one. I definitely couldn't get that other one back from him when he wouldn't even let me talk to him...

I walked out the front door, unconsciously shivering as the cold air whipped across me. I began my descent down the front the stairs when I felt something cold hit me from the side. I turned to see Mokuba's retreating form, obviously thinking he could outrun me. I chased after him, gathering a pile of snow in my hand as I ran. I chased him all the way around back until I came up to an already half-finished snow man.

"See big brother? She's almost done! All we have to do is finish her!" Mokuba said excitedly while trying to catch his breath. I smiled down at him in a way that made him arch his eyebrow suspiciously.

"Good job, Mokie. But first, I need to do this!" I shoved a snowball down the back of his jacket while he squirmed to escape my grip. I laughed happily as he pulled me down onto the ground with him where he was still trying to get the snowball from his clothing. We both stayed there for a while, not caring whether or not we were getting soaking wet, enjoying the silence. The calm silence hovered around us, making everything at ease. I lied back, breathing softly next to Mokuba.

"Why did you stop smiling?" Mokuba asked in a small whisper.

"What do you mean? I was smiling just a minute ago," I replied even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I don't mean then. I'm talking about when we were little and you would read to me and we would play in the sand all the time. You always smiled then. But then you stopped. It happened kind of slowly, y'know? You just began to smile less and less. Then you stopped all together..." He trailed off kind of quietly. I felt the silence settle among us before he began to speak again.

"But not so long ago, you began to smile again. I was so happy because you would come home and not go to your room or the office for a change. You would stay with me and read or watch a movie or just sit. You even had a friend over to the house, Seto! That day that Ryou came over... You were so happy. But, just as soon as it happened, you stopped. But this time, it wasn't gradual. You just stopped all of the sudden. Now, every rare time you do smile, all the smiles are broken. Why did you have to stop?"

I sat up to look at him. When did he grow up?

Why did he have to grow up?

"Listen, Mokie, I... I don't know. I really don't know this time," I hung my head in hope of not letting him see me like this. I looked over at him to see tears brimming his wide eyes. I moved to wipe them from his face before pulling him into a tight hug.

"Don't worry about me, Mokie. Everything will be okay. I promise. I don't expect you to understand why I'm so sad, but I'm going to fix it. I promise... Besides, we still haven't even finished Cleo this year. You don't want all the snow to melt before we finish her, do you? Come on," I picked my brother up once again, hoping it would distract him from the conversation that I hoped was over. Why do I always make promises that I know I can't keep... what do you do when the only person that can stop your tears is the one making you cry? I will fix it though. I promised Mokuba I would. And I have yet to break a promise to him.

"You know all the snow won't melt that quickly. Besides, I know it's going to snow more. Lots and lots more. It always does. Don't be silly, big brother," Mokuba replied with a playful role of his eyes. I looked down at him with a grin on my face before setting him back down on his own two feet.

"Hey Mokie, I was wondering if we could do something different this year," I looked over at him to see him in nod to show he was listening, "Do you think we can each build our own angels this year. I recently had some... inspiration."

"Sure big brother! But will you name her?"

"I've been thinking about the name Suki[1] for a while..."

**-Next Day at School. Ryou's POV-**

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get yesterday out of my mind. I've run the scene through my mind over and over again, always changing something each time. The only thing that remained constant in each fantasy was that he didn't leave. Not without me. Not so easily. But they are nothing but dreams, ne? Silly imaginings that will never come true for the past can't be changed no matter how much you may want it to. But I still don't understand why he left so easily like that. Normally, he would have put up a fight, especially when faced with an aggressive Joey. But yesterday, he just gave in. He seemed so... broken. I remember everything being a blur when he showed up out of nowhere. I remember Tristan looking at me worriedly and my heart stopping when he showed up. I remember gasping when he walked away. I remember wearing his jacket. But most of all, I remember tears. I can't remember if they were mine or his, but I remember them coming down. I hope they were mine. I wouldn't know what to do if they were his. But I don't have to worry about that. In this world, Seto doesn't cry. He's stronger than that.

Always stronger...

But in my head... Seto loves me. He will always love me. He will never leave me like everybody else has. He will always love me because that's how I choose it to be. We live for each other and nothing more. We live in my mind. That's where it's safe. Safe in my mind... in a mind where nothing exists, where everything is how I want it to be. And that's where I go when it gets too hard, in my world...

But there's also an ancient spirit living my mind, so that shows my sanity level. But like I said, dreams don't come true.

_'And don't forget it, yadonushi. It's about time you came to reality."_

I groaned slightly at the sound of my yami's voice in my head. I know it sounds weird, but I sometimes forget he even listens to what I think half of the time. But in my dreams,he isn't in my head. Nope. But what's the points in dreams anyways?

_'Nothing.'_ My yami replied certainly.

Yeah, nothing. I looked up from my feet to see I was now standing in front of my locker. I stood there sullenly, a million thoughts racing through my head. Everything that had happened- the notes, the dreams, the movies, the couch, everything- came crashing upon me. The day he first talked to me like a human being, I was standing right here. In this very spot, banging my head on my locker. That sounds tempting right about now...

I hit my head against the metal, feeling the familiar dull pain in my forehead. I repeated the action, wondering why I didn't do it more often. There was something oddly calming about this...

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang- "Haven't I already told you about doing that?"

My eyes shot open at the sound of the strong voice behind me. Please tell me I'm just experiencing some type of brain damage, schizophrenia, anything. Just as long as he isn't behind me.

"Listen Ryou, I don't know whether you remember or not, but we have a project to work on..."

Why me? Why?

"...and we've partners on it for a long time and it needs to get done. But that's not why I really why I came talk to you..."

I turned my head around to see Seto looking at me expectantly, his face a slight shade of red. I looked nodded to him slightly, as if to show that I was listening.

"Ryou, I... I really need to talk to you. I... I really need you to listen to me. Please-"

"A project? I guess we should do it then, huh? I'll get my stuff..." I interrupted. Why I did it, I don't know. It just seems easier that way. I heard him let him let out an exasperated sigh behind me while I pushed the sleeves of the over sized coat up my arms so I could use my hands to open my locker. Oh no... I'm wearing his coat, aren't I? What else could go wrong? Just then, I felt tingle in the back of my throat as a sneeze echoed down the empty hall.

"Bless you," Seto replied calmly.

I groaned slightly, putting my head in my now opened locker. They say that we enjoy warmth because we have been cold, we appreciate light because we have been in darkness, we can experience joy because we have known sadness. So, in order to enjoy something, you have to go through complete hell first. What a bittersweet life we all live, ne?

I shoved everything unceremoniously into my bag before turning towards the exit, careful not to make any kind of eye contact with him. He placed his hand on the small of my back causing the familiar butterflies to pollute my stomach once again. He calmly took my bag from my hands, like always, leading me towards the door. It was almost like before, and I almost wish it was. Back then, everything was beautiful.

I wish I could see things in the same light.

[1] Suki means "beloved"... I think. If not, well poo...

Hmm, I absolutely HATE this chapter. I've written differently three separate times, hating each one of them. Then, I wrote one that was half tolerable, then before I even had the chance to push save, my sister came up and banged on the board, shutting everything down, therefore erasing everything. I was sooo mad... But I gave up and said 'Screw It' and posted this one. I plan on finishing this with like two more chapters. So I should finish this by chapter ten... I hope. (sigh) But I promise this is going somewhere! But yeah... Ryou and I seem to have the same sick-ness, so I think I need to go to bed now...

And now for a little tid-bit of wisdom to get you through the day:

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT suction cap erasers on to your face. I did it during biology and now I have three little, hickey-like bruises on my chin. It's scary because they are all like perfectly shaped circles. I didn't even leave them on there that long... Anyways, just DON'T do it. Trust me man, It's not worth it. I have eraser hickeys on my chin...


	9. Torn

I know, I know. I'm updating a little earlier than usual but I couldn't stand that last chapter, it made me twitch. So here you go! Plus, I had today off from babysitting and the only homework I have is to study and a couple different projects that aren't due yet. So I took this opportunity. Thank you to all that reviewed! It made me so much happier!

**andromeda90, **(Sniff) I'm glad you're better and not having to take pills of hell anymore. (sniff) Sadly, I am now sneezing every three minutes and constantly sniffling. And I feel so unloved, no one says bless you for me either! (huggles Ryou) We have so much in common... But thank you for reviewing on that pile of crap supposedly called a chapter. (Sniff) It made me feel better... at least on the inside!)

**Nannae **(O.O Cookies!? I'll do anything for a really good cookie. Especially the ones that are iced so that they look like cookie monster... Is it just me, or are those somewhat cannibalistic to you too? I mean, come on, he lives off cookies, why would you turn him into a cookie... I don't know why I'm so fascinated with that... It just seems so deliciously morbid to me...)

**Saffron-Stralight **( -- It was that bad, wasn't it? Sadly, it had to be done to get where we are now...(mumbles) Stupid piece o' worthless-ness chapter...)

**and The Chaotic Ones **(I would imagine it would work... (ponders) Yup, I'm certain it would work, but that person must really deserve a fate worst than death... or a least a pimpley, pizza face....) Thanks for reviewing on that god-awful chapter. That very well could be one of the most boring, dead things I have written... but thanks all the same!

**a song for jeffrey **I love that hat... I have the same one and I wear it constantly (My mum kept yelling at me for wearing it during the summer (insert naggy voice:" Take that hat off! You're going to get a heat stroke. If I see it on your head just one more time..., BUT I LOVE IT SO FRIGGIN' MUCH!) But yeah, NOOOOO don't stick the erasers to your face! Your friends will laugh at you and pile erasers on you desk the next day of school because they are eeeeeeevil and enjoy watching you suffer in pain! Eeeevil...

**WolfBane2** Aww, thank you for reassuring me of my craptacular-ness. I was all down, then you reviewed! Thanks sooo much! Sorry for the lack of Ryou, but there is plenty of him here! I promise! And as for my tidbit of wisdom...O.O You don't believe me?! I will prove to you all that it is indeed dangerous when I become an eeeevil scientist and kidnap all those cute, pale Asian children and stick erasers to their cute little faces while I force them to work in my eraser/ macaroni-n-cheese factory! Mwa ha ha... and when they turn thirteen, I shall pull erasers off their pale little faces to reveal HICKEYS! Tons of purple hickeys. And than I can say, "I told you so!" Yes, that is the new plan, forget saving the world form global warming... this is so much better...ha ha ha...I shall rule the world with an iron fist! YOU, OBEY THE FIST!

Cain: O.O

**Yami-loverOB1** Thank you for reviewing! It was so sweet and made me feel better about that horrible chapter! Thanks!

**Blue Eyed Angel2 **Oh, I am so sorry to hear about that. I hate it when that happens... grrr.... But yeah. Hee hee, gay porn from an uncle... that's great... And your computer is a he? He sounds kinda rude to have done that to you though... jerk... But yeah, enjoy your eggs! And thanks for reviewing!

**Kokuryuuha-018 **Are you serious? You have made my life so worth living now! (dies) I can't believe you like S/R because of this! Have you not read 'Fairydust' by Pikachumaniac? It's what really introduced me to the S/R world. (sigh) Either way, thank you sooooo much for the review. That was just unbelievably nice. (bows) Thank you so much.

**treana** Ah, it 'tis my paddy. Like D.T.3? But there's a difference there... D.T. IS AMAZING! That sucked... But anywho, thank you for reviewing! And all the compliments! And for not sticking erasers to your face! Trust me, it'll all be worth it in the end... (vows to never stick anything to her face again) Hey look! A Band-Aid! (sticks to face) (smiles) Thanks again!

**Relinquished **Wow, you're smart! How did you know all that? (looks confoozled) Thank you for reassuring me all the same! And thank you for reviewing! And for saying nice things! It's all so nice (glomps) THANK YOU!

**Solar **You poor, poor busy little person. I'm sorry you don't have time to relax... I can relate... Hope to see ya soon! Thanks for stopping by!

**Kurama's Oni **Thank yo for reviewing. AND I LOVE YOU S/R STORY! It's great! PLEASE update it. PLEASE! And thanks for letting me know about all that stuff, I will store it in my brain cabinet of stuff I won't need in the real world! THANKS AGAIN!

**TeeDee **The hickeys went away in like three days (smile) I learned my lesson... Thank you for reviewing though! I'm glad you liked it!

**Ashuri chan **HA! I'm going to go and tell my mum about that! Especially after the "Well, duh..." speech she gave me after wards. I'm not the only one to do something like that... And I think things get happier here... well for a moment at least... THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!

(sigh) but enough of my complaining! Watch out, stuff actually happens this chapter! I hated that last chapter so bad it hurts...

Disclaimer:

Cain: (sigh) I've done this for like eight chapters now. Does not own... Beware the love, the stinging words, and the bad writing... **AND THE FLUFF!**

_Beware of the sudden change in the points of view...._

**Chapter 9 Torn**

**Ryou's Pov**

The car ride over was rather uneventful. I sat as far into the corner as possible while Seto sat with a contemplative look on his face that stared endlessly at the dark tinted window. Not out of, just at. Which, in reality, doesn't really make a difference at all, but it does when it comes to Seto Kaibe. He's just not the type of person to 'waste time' simply looking at something. And he never had, with the exception of the other day... Everything seemed so.. colorless when it came to him. He never stopped to "smell the roses" as some would say. It was all a machine world of black and white...

What a cliche, ne? 'The man who lives in his own prison'. But it describes Seto so perfectly that it sometimes scares me. Scares me into believing that it's true. But then again, maybe it is... A long time ago, I told him that I would save him. But now, I don't think I can. I'm too weak to be the cure, at least when it comes to him. He needs, no, he _deserves_ someone strong and brave and... perfect. Someone he could let in. It just hurts to know that I'm not that person.

But that doesn't stop me from sometimes wanting to be that person, even if for just a little while. It's like when your kid and you want ride the ponies at the circus or something. You know that you will never actually own the unobtainable pony, but you still beg to ride it just do you can maybe know what your missing out on. So you can see how good you could of had it if you did have that pony. How good I could have had it if I were just a little stronger, a little more perfect. Then I might have Seto...

But we all know that isn't going to happen. I mean, come on, I comparing him to a blasted pony. Oh, the advantages of being sane, how I miss thee... Reality was never as sweet as fantasy...

The sudden jerk of the limo pulled me out of all the thoughts that were sweeping through my mind, causing me to glance at Seto to see if he was any more aware to what happened than I was. "It's okay. We must of just hit a patch of ice," he assured me with a disheartened grin. I gulped nervously before nodding my head. Assuming that I was satisfied with his explanation, Seto turned back to the window to continue to stare at what I can only guess.

"R-Ryou?" I turned towards Seto to see him still staring at the window, that single word having been said slowly, as if he was unsure if himself. "Can I ask you something?" I nodded my head reluctantly, not really wanting to answer anything at the moment. "Do you remember the day when you first talked to me? Do you remember what you asked?" he questioned softly, never looking away from the window.

I sat quietly for a moment, trying to decide whether it was safe to answer or not. Of course I remember that day. I would always remember is if not for the fact that I had actually talked to the Seto Kaiba, then for the reason that I was paranoid that a secret hit-man was after me for a week following that day. That was the day I made my first true friend. "I-I... I asked 'why'," I answered unsure of myself. Just where is he going with this...

I felt the car come to a stop, but nobody moved. I continued to stare at the back of his head, waiting for whatever may come next. "I had no idea how to react to you," he mused quietly, "You just suddenly showed up and started asking questions that I refused to face myself. You just... came out of no where. And yet, you scared me. You seemed so sure of yourself at one moment, but so frail the next. But it was the moments when you would be assertive that scared me. You had me figured out. But you still asked me why. I remember everything you said. It played over and over again in my head. And I answered you. But the only problem is that I never got to ask you anything. I never got to have my one free question..." he trailed off sadly while I stared at my now twisting hands. "Is it too late to get that one question?" I tripped over my words, trying to come up with something coherent to say. I moved my eyes from my lap to see he had now turned to face me, his own hands waiting patiently in his lap. I looked up at him, almost as if I was pleading for him to help me. I pulled my hands apart from their current state of twisting around one another and numbly placed them under each of my legs in hopes of making them stop.

I looked down at my lap once again, biting my lip sharply to make my constant stutters stop. I felt a warm hand brought to my chin as it gently coaxed my gaze upward. His eyes met mine in a soft, yet melancholy gaze. He leaned closer to me, causing my breath to hitch slightly. He face was even with mine when he whispered in a mournful voice, "Why?"

**Ta da! Now it's Seto's POV! See how that works? But we're still at the same part of the story! Cool, huh?**

I allowed my hand to drop from his face as I swiftly got out of the car. I carried his both our bags like I always had and stood outside the door, waiting for him to also get out. It took a moment longer than I expected, but I eventually saw him emerge from the vehicle, his face a few shades whiter than usual. He stood still for a moment, arranging my coat so it sat more comfortably on his body. I felt a pang hit my heart as he looked up at me expectantly. He didn't need me to catch him this time1...

I nodded slightly before turning to bring him inside from the cold. Even if he did look perfect against the white snow, I didn't want him to get sick again. We walked up the steps, like we always had before. Except now, we weren't happy and joking. We weren't on our way to watch a movie or play games with Mokuba.

We were together because we _had _to be. Because we had a project to work on. Be cause _he_ didn't have a choice. I have a feeling he wouldn't had even come if it weren't for the project. To be honest, I'm surprised he even came for that. And the worst part is that I don't even know what I did wrong. But no matter what it is, I would do anything to take it back. I would bring down the moon if it only brought my Ryou back to me. I would do it without a second thought.

Who am I kidding? That's never going to happen.

Never.

Sometimes, I wonder what happens when you fall in love with someone. Do you unintentionally give that person a part of your heart, a part of your soul. Maybe that's why it hurts so much to lose the person you love, you're losing a part of yourself...

I think too much. I shook my head like I always did when I wanted to make myself stop thinking. Luckily, it usually worked. I began to slow down, looking through the halls to decide on which room to go in. I turned to my left to see the same room we had sat in to watch 'Edward Scissorhands'2. I allowed a small smile to appear on my face as I remembered how much Ryou seemed to like that room. Having made my decision, I turned sharply, obviously catching Ryou off-guard as he stumbled to make sure he was on the same track as I was. I calmly put our bags on the floor next to the door, then stood still, waiting for Ryou to come in.

He stood in the doorway, throughly entranced with what in front of him. At least I could do something right...

"We can work in here, unless you don't want to. If not, we can work somewhere else," I spoke up, praying that he would want to stay here. There was something comforting about the familiarity that it had.

"Oh, no, this is fine," he replied hastily, his voice soft. I nodded to him, showing him into the room. Just as soon as he was in the door, he rushed over to the largest chair and jumped into it, letting a small squeal escape his lips. He was happy, truly happy. I felt a smile on my lips, but didn't bother to try and hide it this time. I was able to do something that made him happy... I kept my gaze on him as he giggled slightly as he put his head against the side of the large couch. I felt a small laugh leave my lips, unfortunately bringing him back to reality.

His face became stained a seep red as he smiled sheepishly at his embarrassing outburst. "I really like this chair," he answered, obviously embarrassed.

"I could tell," I replied throughly amused. "Mokuba really seems to like it too."

He grinned once again before the saddened look reappeared on his face. "We should maybe get to work," I offered, rather disappointed that the good mood had disappeared that quickly.

"Yeah, I guess we should..." his hands were twisting underneath the long sleeves of the jacket again. I sighed, turning around to get my laptop from my briefcase. When I turned back around, Ryou had made his way to the floor and was sitting cross-legged with the jacket spread around him once again. He half-heartedly grinned up to me, answering my unspoken question,"It'll be easier to work from down here."

I nodded in return, making my way over to sit beside him. We sat in silence while I started my laptop up, the only sounds that could be heard were the distant sounds of Mokuba's television and the occasional sniff from Ryou. As soon as everything was up, I got to work on opening everything we would need. "Here, you can look through this if you want. There might something in there we could use," I said, handing him a large book that covered his entire lap when opened. He nodded in response, continuing the dreadful silence. I sat rigidly, typing carelessly. The minutes passed by slowly, making the silence in the air even more unbearable. I risked a glance at Ryou to see him tugging at the sleeves of my jacket, his eyes darting between the book and in my direction. I really couldn't take the silence anymore. Especially when there where things that I needed to say. I had to say it while I still had the chance.

"I don't understand you..."

**Ryou's POV (I know it's a weird place to change, but I had to do it...)**

I was a little taken back by my sudden outburst, but I couldn't take it any longer. I looked up at Seto to look into his blue eyes that were clouded with confusion.

"There's not much to understand. I'm just like before," he replied slowly. What does he mean 'just like before'? I cocked my head to the side, making my confusion clear.

"Those few weeks we were together, I was no longer that cold machine. You gave me a heart. But then you just stopped... stopped everything... I guess some people aren't meant to be in your life, no matter how much you want them to be... It's just that it still hurts all the same..." he answered slowly, almost as if he was unsure of what he was saying. I felt tears threaten my eyes, but refused to let them spill, especially when I didn't even know what I was crying over.

But he seems so sad... And I think it's my fault. I don't want to be the one to cause him any kind of grievance. He saved me, he really did. I was no longer 'Hey you, yeah, Yugi's friend...' No, I was Ryou. I was Ryou on the first day, no questions asked. The tears came closer and closer to spilling despite the fact I gave everything I had to try and make them not. I felt the similar feeling in my stomach as he touched my chin to bring my face to look up at his once again.

"I...I-"

"Look Ryou, I'm sorry for I did, whatever it was. As long as it brings you back to me. I don't know know what you do to me, but it's good, whatever it is. Please, if you won't forgive me, tell me what I did wrong. I can't live without knowing how I managed to screw up everything in my life. Maybe then... I might be able to fix it...I just want to get you back..." his hand still rested against my face while I continued to battle the onslaught of tears that soon found their way down my cheek. I leaned my head down, removing his hand from my face. It was so cold with out it there... I sat still, crying to myself for a moment before (without thinking) I flung myself into his chest, sobbing. I felt him go stiff for a moment from my weight on top of him before his arms wrapped around me tightly. I cried softly while he whispered little nothings into my ear. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Wonderful, peaceful hours. And I felt calm. For the first time in days, I felt calm. And yet, it was thoughts like this that made me cry harder. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what's most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to tell them. I can't tell him. Like I said, I'm too weak to be the cure...

I reluctantly lifted my head to bring my face level with his. After wiping the tears from my eyes, I looked at Seto to see a single tear run down his cheek. Why he was crying, I don't know. After all, _I'm_ the nervous breakdown waiting to happen. I took the end of my sleeve, pulling it over the end of my hand and leaned up to gently wipe the solitary tear from his face. But before I could pull my hand away from his face, he placed his own hand over mine, keeping it in place. Then in a swift motion, he gently removed the jacket from my body, pulling it around the his back and wrapping it around both of us.

Together.

I felt myself laugh slightly through the small remainder of tears. He returned my laughter with a warm smile before leaning forward slightly so that our foreheads touched. I felt myself completely stop breathing. Every rare breath that did come was shallow and raspy, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He brought his hand up in the similar fashion to touch the end of my nose, despite the fact our noses were nearly touching.

"You never answer my question," he whispered softly, as if to not ruin the silence.

"It... it was nothing..." I answered in the same tone of voice, shaking my head slightly. A slight frown appeared on his face, causing a small wrinkle in his skin to show on his forehead.

"It must have been something. Why won't you tell me?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Is it that you don't know... Or just don't want to say?" he replied slowly. Why does that sound so familiar?

__

_"What is it that's got you this upset?"_

_"I-I can't say..."_

_"Is it that you don't know, or you don't want to say?"3_

__

I leaned back slightly, trying to get a better look at his face. "W-what did you say?" He looked back at me confused before closing his eyes while sighing.

"Never mind... I shouldn't have said anything..." he was now looking out the door, the frown still in place.

"Do you care about me?"

"W-what?"

"Do you care about me?" I repeated in a stubborn voice. He looked down at me, taken back by my question. I don't see why, it's a reasonable enough question...

_'No it's not...'_

Well, no one asked him anyways... I felt myself grow impatient and began to get twitchy, sure signs of one of my 'overreacting fits' as my Yami calls them. And before anyone even dares to say anything, no, I'm not overreacting. It's a reasonable question with a reasonable purpose.

_'Just like storming out because of a little 'Bless You' wasn't. Yeah, that's not overreacting...'_

I frowned even deeper, choosing to ignore him. I moved my gaze to Seto who was currently tripping over his own words. Wow, what a sight.

"Of course I care about you... I lo-... I couldn't lie without you! What are you talking about?" his voice sounded urgent and, well, hurt.

"You care... That's what I thought... This... I can't do this... I can't do it..." I felt more tears come as I began to move away from him. Before I was out of reach, he reached his hand out to wipe the newly fallen tear away, but I stopped him before he could reach my face. "This can't happen... It can't... I'm so sorry..." I leaned over and gently kissed the end of his nose before turning to leave. I grabbed my bag that still lied near the door and walked, well ran, to where I hoped the door was.

_'You know what yadonushi? You have got to be the greatest fool ever. Even worst than the pharaoh. You do know that you're overreacting, right? And don't you dare try to ignore me. You know that resistance is futile. I can go on like this for hours because, unlike you, I don't need to sleep...and you know what else? I've got nothing better to do with my time...'_

I growled slightly, really, truly trying to ignore him. Believe it or not, it's really not as easy as some would think... I exited the the large front doors, shivering as the cold air whipped across me, stinging my skin. Oh well, I could go without a coat... It wasn't _that _cold. It was only snowing... Why do I always lie to myself...

_"... and you're pretty much walking out on quite possibly the greatest thing you'll ever come in contact. As long as you know. And don't come crying to me when the whole world is tumbling down because all I'm going to say is 'told you so..' Life's a bitch like that, ne? Why don't you just stop lying to yourself?...'_

Like I said, how I miss the advantages of being sane...

**Mokuba's POV (That's a new one, no?)**

I ran through the halls- wait no, I wasn't running. Seto would get on to me for running... I_ scurried _through the halls, looking for Seto4. I know he's home... Maybe he'll want to go outside and play in the snow again! And we could build friends for Cleo and... what's her name? Oh yeah, Suki. And maybe I can name mine Kaysa!

I continued my scurrying through the halls until I came to my favorite room. Inside, Seto was sitting completely still, his face very white. "Hey big brother! You found your jacket? Where was it? Do you want to go outside?" I asked while flopping- Wait, no, I _sat on _on the chair. I waited a few minutes, but he didn't answer. He just sat there...

"Seto?" I asked uncertainly, standing in front of him.

"He didn't stay... he wouldn't say why... just left..." he muttered softly, his eyes unfocused.

"Who didn't stay, big brother?"

"...him..."

I don't think we're going to go outside today...

1 uhh, y'know, where Ryou would always fall getting outta the car and Seto would catch him? Just so there's no confusion...

2 The room with the "Big Comfy Couch". Remember? Good...

3 from "Counting Crows" chapter... when Ryou is talking to Tristan...

4 I don't know where this came from... I feel like I've read it somewhere, but when I checked where I thought I did, it wasn't there. I don't know if it came from me, but I have this weird feeling that it didn't. Either way, to be safe, I'm just going to say that I didn't think it up, okay? My brain's too mushy to tell right now...

There, I'm done for now.

Is it good? No.

Is it better than last chapter? A pile of dog poo is better than that last chapter. So yeah...

I think I may have set a record for dragging something out, but hey, whatever. I think the next chapter will be the last one... I think... It should be... I dunno. Sorry for the craptacular-ness of it all...

Well, like I said, that is it for now for I have a geography test tomorrow and I honestly couldn't label a map of Europe if my life depended on it(shoot, I'm so bad a geography that I'm lucky that I can even find my way through my own house without even getting lost... Cain: Sad, but true...), so I must go and study my little brain out. The capitol of Greece is Athens. The capitol of Russia is Moscow...


	10. Simply Meant To Be

Wow, had a LOT of nice and LONG reviews (sigh) I love reviews...

**Ashuri chan **Thank you for reviewing! Sorry for the sad-ness, but I find that I tend to write angst more than anything else and I'm not sure why... I just must be a dark person... grr, fear me, I'm mean...

**a song for jeffrey **Really, I'm really good at foreign languages. But geography is my one downfall. But I did make a 100 on the test (is proud of herself) I showed you, Coach Miller! Try to give me a hard test, will ya? Anywho, thank you for taking the time to review!

**andromeda90 **I am SOOOO sorry you had to go back to school and that you have to sit next to Edrian and that your leg fudging hurts. Life can really be a bitch sometimes, ne? Anywho, hell yeah Bakura can tell Ryou off. He _is _Bakura after all and Bakura kicks ass. Major ass. But yeah, thank you so much for reviewing!

**Relinquished **You know what, that isn't a bad idea (ponders over which room would be the best to lock them in)... O.O I beat your review count? How? 'Judgment' I don't think I've read it yet (runs off to read it) Thank you for reviewing all the same!

**Kokuryuuha-018 **I didn't make him sound too young? I kinda thought I did... But yeah, thank you so much for reviewing!

**Nannae **(greedily grabs cookie) Sorry (munch) it took (munch) so long (swallow) That is one really good cookie... Been very busy, But here it is! The last chapter! Enjoy!

**WolfBane2 **Eep, I'm hurrying... well sorta. Hope you enjoyed the Otogi/Honda fics! And here is the end! Hope you enjoy it!

**Blue Eyed Angel2 **Why is your dad moving your bed? (laugh) Was there a lot of dust? That reminds me of "My Neighbor Totoro" by Miyazaki. Those dust bunnies kill me every time... Yeah for plot bunnies! (pouts) But I didn't see any new YGO fics... I tried to read some of your other fics, but sadly, I don't know much about Final Fantasy or that season of Digimon... I'll keep an eye out though! I can't wait to read them! Anywho, thank you so much for reviewing!

**treana **I noticed all those spelling mistakes too (glares at unsuspecting errors) I HATE YOU! Anywho, sadly, This is the end, Beautiful friend, This is the end, My only friend, the end (The Doors Song. I love that band...) Thank you for pushing me through this, my paddy. I would have never done this without you! You are like the best friend ever and the greatest author too! I really owe it all to you. Luv you loads! Thanks...

**The Chaotic Ones **Stunned? Why are you stunned my schizophrenic ones? (is confused) Here's that update! Sorry it took so long... And thank you for being with me through this entire story! It really means a lot to me...

**Solar **(is confused) Words have so many different meanings... (sigh) Oh well... Thank you all the same! And thank you for reviewing! Here's the ending to a long and drawn out road...

**Kurama's Oni **(is confused again) I don't think you updated, did you? I checked and I checked, but no update... I love that story...But thank you for reviewing! Here's the last chapter!

**Dark-angel302 **Ah, stop hitting your head! You'll get brain damage (is paranoid) We don't want that to happen, do we? Anywho, thanks for reviewing! And here is the end! Thank you for being such an awesome person and friend! I luv you tons!

**boredsenseless **(squeal) It's you! I LOVE your story! I truly hope you have better luck in the future! You so totally deserve it! Thank you for paying me a visit!

**Sapphire Dragons **Ooh, I'm glad you payed me a visit too! I'm also sooo glad you liked this! I'll more than likely talk to ya later! Thanks for the reivews!

_Here it is, the last chapter. As Jim Morrison once said "This is the end, Beautiful friend, This is the end, My only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. No safety or surprise, the end. I'll never look into your eyes...again" He truly was a genius... anywho, thank you to every person who read this story. It has been an amazing experience writing this! I truly love each and every one of you! I'm also so sorry it took so long to get this put out, but I've been a VERY busy little girl lately. But here it is, the end..._

Cain: Here: Disclaimer: You all know it. And beware attractive young men being in love with one-another, rude words, Ryou throwing one hell of a hissy fit, and a sickeningly sweet ending.

**Chapter Ten **_(Hey, I just noticed that I made the last chapter number ten. That sucks, I hate doing things in even numbers like that...)_

**Simply Meant To Be**

**Seto's POV**

I sat huddled with his jacket in the snow while I half-coherently watch Mokie repair Cleo. He had somehow convinced me that being outside would make me feel better, but so far, all it's done is make every part of my body numb. But I guess that's kind of my fault for refusing to put on a coat.

I unconsciously pulled his jacket up closer to my body and kept my eyes on Mokie. Every once in a while, he would shoot me a worried look from the corner of his eye, but would quickly go right back to picking through the snow. Eventually, he gave up on all hopes of fixing our angel and came slowly to where I sat.

"Seto... will you talk to me now?" he asked hesitantly while slowly sitting himself in the snow next to me. I wiped a stray tear from my face and gave a small sniff in answer. He remained quiet for a minute before deciding to talk. "Seto, will you please speak? Just one word, please. I don't care what it is, just as long as it lets me know you're okay..." I continued to stare in front of me, holding the jacket closer to me...

"Seto!"

...just staring...

"You promised!"

What a promise... I knew I couldn't keep it. Why did I even bother to try... I felt a weight shift into my lap as Mokuba dropped down onto me. I allowed myself to look at him in the face to see him scowling slightly. "Say something, anything. You haven't say a word for like four hours now. I'm so worried about you..." he leaned his head against my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my waist. I returned the gesture after a moment of hesitation. It wasn't long before I began to feel tears soak through the fabric of my shirt. I pulled Mokuba up and made him look at me.

"You love him, don't you big brother?" he questioned softly after wiping the tears from his cheeks.

I nodded my head mutely, knowing that I didn't need to even bother asking who he was talking about. He really has grown up...

"Why didn't you tell him, big brother? You promised that you would fix it... Why couldn't you keep your promise..."

"I... I tried to Mokie. I really did... he wouldn't... he doesn't love me," My voice cracked, but I said it finally, the truth... he doesn't love me. I love him, he doesn't love me. "I'm sorry Mokie, I really am. I'm sorry I broke my promise. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about it. I'm sorry... I'm just... I'm just sorry. I can't change, though I've wanted to. But I guess it was for the best. He deserves so much more, so much better than me..." I felt my head drop again as Mokuba lent back to get a better look at me.

"Setoooooooo," he put his hands on my shoulders, trying to shake me slightly. "Stop it, okay? You said you would fix it. And you will fix it. The Seto I know and love would. Just like he makes a silly snow angel every year and cries at movies. And I know he's still there. So just do it, okay? And if he doesn't love you, it's his loss. There's always other fish in the sea," a mischievous grin suddenly appeared across his face, "Just think about it. There's always Joey-"

"WHAT?"

"Hey, it's just a thought... But don't you see? I know your still there Seto. Please, try just one more time. That's all I ask. If it doesn't work out, then you can be however you want. But you did make a promise. And you know what? I'm going to make sure you keep that promise, if not for me, then for Ryou. He deserves it just as much as I do." He leaned further back and crossed his arms across his chest, obviously finished. I sat completely still, not really surprised by his speech, but taken back all the same. He could be so... straightforward sometimes. And the worst thing is... I think he's right. And he knows it.

"You know that you have no idea what you're talking about, right?" I asked amused.

He stuck out his tongue childishly and distorted his face in a small scowl. "Yeah, well you'd still be pouting right now if it wasn't for me, so there."

"Excuse me, but_ I _don't pout," I reproached halfheartedly. He gave me critical look before shaking his head in a hopeless manner.

"Whatever you say big brother... Hey, why don't we make another angel this year? You know, just for fun," he questioned excitedly, jumping up from my lap. He stood over me with his hand outstretched, waiting to help me up.

"You know what, I was thinking the same exact thing..." I answered, accepting his hand.

"But this time, I want to name him." Mokuba replied excitedly while in the process of gathering snow.

"Him? Did you already have a name in mind or something?" I asked suspiciously. We've never made a boy snow angel before...

"Yup," He answered with a huge grin on his face. "I just really like the name _Ryou_, don't you?"

**Ryou's POV (The next day at Lunch)**

I sat stiffly at the base of the tree, staring mindlessly at the blue and white stripes of my sweater. Yugi-tachi were all paired up as usual, leaving me to sit by myself. It's really not that bad, mind you. It's just that... I could really use some kind of distraction right about now. And my sweater isn't too warm, come to think about it...

I sighed and leaned my head back, letting it hit the trunk of the tree. It didn't feel as comforting as the locker did, but who was I to complain? I lightly tapped my head against the tree again, mostly to just keep my attention on something other than yesterday.

_Bump_

_Bump_

_Bump_

Funny, you'd think I'd learn my lesson about doing this, ne? I think it's some kind of bad omen or something... That's what it is exactly, an omen.

_God number 1: Hey look, Ryou's hitting his head again..._

_God number 2: Well, you know what that means..._

_God number 1: Yup, total and complete hell._

_God number 2: Well, let's get to it..._

I allowed a smile grin to grace my lips at the little conversation that just ran through my head. Yami's right, I really do think too much sometimes...

_Oh, so you decided to admit that I'm back in your life. How thoughtful of you. You know what I was thinking, yadonushi? I thought that maybe you should just go find a nice, tall building to jump off of. Wouldn't that be nice? Then, you wouldn't have to worry about gods hating you or Kaiba stalking you or-_

I mentally groaned at the sound of that name. Now I remember why I had been struggling to keep our link closed off; he didn't know when to let things go. That and he wouldn't stop harassing me, but what else is new? But to be honest, I don't know if I mind it so much anymore. I can't explain it. I just... I like knowing that I'm not alone...

_Oh, did I mention that you've had someone hovering behind you for the past, oh three minutes? Just thought you oughta know considering that I now have the privilege to actually talk to you now..._

I pouted slightly at the tune he had used before realization struck me... I swiftly turned around to be met with a pair of leather-clad legs. Looking up slowly, I was met with the vision of non other than Devlin staring down at me.

"You know stalking is considered illegal?" I questioned in an annoyed voice, a slight scowl set on my face. "What do you want?"

"Who ever said I came here for you? And I'm not stalking. I'm... waiting for someone." he returned in an equal tone.

"Whatever you call it, I'm sure _he_ wouldn't appreciate. Just do what you need to already, he's beginning to twitch," I answered while pointedly staring at Tristan. Hey, I have a right to be sour! Why do _they _get to be happy when I'm sitting here in the snow by myself?

_Like I told you, life's a bitch._

Thanks, Yami....

"How do you even know I'm here for that? I could just be here to, oh I don't know... rub in the fact that you can't even _pretend _to have any sense of mental stability. I heard what happened at Kaiba's yesterday. _Wow_, no I mean it. Bravo. Tell me, how do you manage to walk out on him_ twice?_ That has got to be some kind of record, especially considering that it _is_ Seto Kaiba we're talking about. Any explanations?"

I thought it wasn't about me... I attempted to glare at him, but my glares have often been mistaken for pouting, so you can imagine how effective it was. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied after a few moments of our 'glaring' match.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you're so good at lying to yourself. What a talent. Come on, tell your ol' buddy Duke all about it," he coaxed annoyingly while taking a seat next to me in the snow. I turned my 'glare' from him towards Yugi-tachi. Honestly, they should have noticed one of us by now... I mean, Devlin's not the most inconspicuous man to walk the Earth.

"I really don't want to talk about it..." I said numbly while staring at Joey and Tristan who seemed to have come up with another plan to disrupt the biology class again. Good for them....

"Aww, so there is a problem. Acceptance is the first step, y'know?" Why do I have the sudden urge to kill a certain dice-obsessed boy? "But I guess that even I can't make you talk. Mokuba just really wanted me to see if I could get anything out of you-"

"WHAT?" I screeched at the top of my lungs. What the hell? Mokuba? That little imp! I'm going to kill him. But first, I have to kill Devlin. Yes, then I'll kill Mokuba...

Of course at this point, I'm hyperventilating, Devlin is cursing himself for 'letting that slip', and Tristan is busy blushing at his sudden acknowledgment that Duke had somehow made his way to the group. But please, nobody come to the aid of the oxygen-deprived boy. No, he'll be fine..."M-Mokuba? What the hell, Devlin? When did you talk to him? You're a total ass, you know that? I can't believe you..." Okay first off, I'm not overreacting.

_Uh huh... Okay Ryou, whatever it takes to get you through the day... _

I'M NOT OVERREACTING! Fine, you know what? I didn't want to talk to you anyways... I turned my attention from my snickering yami to the surprised looks on everybody's faces.

"Okay, Bakura, breath. Okay, calm down... Get that look off your face... Now listen to me- PUT THAT STICK DOWN! Okay, I know this is none of my business, but don't you think you should face reality?"

No.

"He obviously cares for you,"

So?

"... and I think that you care for him too."

And?

"You shouldn't lie to yourself anymore, Bakura. You finally have a chance to be happy. Why do you insist upon making your life miserable?_"_

Stupid Devlin... thinks he knows everything... "Oh like you're one to talk! Why don't you tell him then?" I jerked my head towards Tristan who was still staring at our small fight.

"I- Well... That's different, and you know it!" Devlin's face was very pale now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tristan's face drain of its color too. Heh, now everybody's miserable.

_How malicious of you. You're getting to be more and more like me everyday. There's hope for you yet..._

"I-I... Don't change the subject, Bakura! This isn't about me!" he ran his hand through his hair distractedly, trying to calm his nerves. Needless to say, I don't think he really accomplished that. "You know what? I don't understand how_ he _can even stand you! You better take this opportunity while you still can because I seriously doubt anyone else would want to be with a baka like you!" He screamed, ending the conversation and began to get to his feet.

"See? You're no better than I am! You're walking away too! Don't try to tell me what to do when you won't do it yourself!" I stood up after him, ready to scream some more before I heard a soft voice behind me.

"Who is it?" I turned around to see Tristan looking up at me with tears shining through his eyes. "Who does he love? Who is it?"

Devlin stopped dead in his tracks, not daring to turn around. Oh, look at what I got myself into... "Well, who is it?" He asked again, raising his voice slightly. Suddenly, I wasn't angry anymore. Well, I was mad, but not to the point of another fit. Sometimes, all you need to do is to start a huge fight...

I carefully glanced at the Devlin's back and then back to Tristan who was trying in vain to stop the tears from coming down his face. Nobody dared to speak, not even Joey, who had been silent along with the rest of Yugi-tachi throughout the entire scene. "Umm... well... I think this is your cue, Duke..." I half mumbled nervously. How do I manage to not only ruin my life, but two other people's too? I guess I am becoming more like my yami...

_Oh no, even I couldn't pull something like this off. Now all you need to do is kill off that pharaoh and you'll be an exact image of what I always wanted you to be... I'm so proud._

Great...

Tristan was beginning to get impatient... This can't be good. He may very well be the bravest among us, but when you get him upset, well, he tends to not be the most rational guy out there. Hmm, maybe I should go and look for that building yami was talking about earlier... It really sounds nice right about now...

"Ryou Bakura," I winced at the sound of my name. Okay, Tristan's pissed, "Answer me now. Who. Is. It." I looked over at Devlin, hoping he would maybe find it in his heart to get me out of this. Tristan can be rather... intimidating. And besides, this is supposed to be his love confession, not mine.

"Leave him alone, Tristan," Oh gods, I love you Duke Devlin, "He was upset, it's not his fault. If anyone should tell you, it should be me." His back was still turned towards us and Tristan was slowly beginning to lose the red tint in his face. And little ol' me got stuck right in between them. Imagine that...

"I... I wanted to tell you earlier, but... things kept messing up. You wouldn't talk to me, Joey would burst into the room. It was always one thing or another. Tristan... I... Will you...well you see, I... Iloveyou..."

_One._

I really don't think either one of them are breathing...

_Two._

I think Joey's going to die from suppressing his laughter, that is if he doesn't die from a heart-attack first...

_Three._

"W-what?" How did I see that coming?

Duke had yet to move from his position in front of us, giving him the obvious advantage. Great, now I'm talking about this as if it were some kind of video game....

"I said that I... you're the one..." And any second now...

A resounding crash could be heard as Tristan jump, no literally _jumped_, from where he was standing onto Duke' s back. Unfortunately, since Duke wasn't expecting much besides a few choice words, he did not prepare himself for such an impact, causing both of them to be tangled together in the snow. Tristan had _somehow _managed to position himself on top of Duke and was currently staring him down.

"Are you serious? If you're playing with me,I'll... I'll... Hell, I don't know. But it'll be bad!" A sudden bell rung throughout the area, signaling the end of our lunch block. I looked at those two expectantly, but they were either A)ignoring it or B)hadn't even heard the shrill sound. Either way, nothing was happening. Finally, Joey mustered up the courage to speak.

"Uh, well, do you guys think that maybe you should, I don't know, get up?" After not receiving an answer, Joey trudged through the snow to where the two sat staring each other down. "Uh, hello? Do you guys not hear me?"

"Do you mean it?" Tristan whispered. Devlin just nodded his head, despite how awkward it must have felt considering he was half-covered in snow. Slowly, a smile spread across Tristan's face. "You know what? So do I..."

"Uhh, I hate to break up this beautiful moment and all, but people are starting to stare. Do ya think you guys could maybe get up now?" Trust Joey to ruin something like that. Devlin glared heatedly at the blonde but Tristan just sighed and carefully began to stand up, never letting his sight leave Duke. Once both boys were up and standing, everyone began their walk back to class with an awkward silence among them all. Well, besides Tristan and Duke that is. They seemed to be, well, content. Lucky them. At least somebody could have an happy ending...

_I'm disappointed in you, yadonushi. You didn't even make them cry. I guess I was wrong... Damn it to hell. I thought I might actually have something go my way for once... Oh well, there's always hope for Malik...._

Well, at least they got to be happy... But now, I'm the only one. I don't have Seto. I don't have Tristan, at least not anymore. I don't even have my yami. I'm all alone... I guess it's back to being the murder of one... At least from here, I can see that somebody else's life has a rainbow to chase away the dark. I wonder how my rainbow's doing...

**End of the Day (Ryou is beginning to go home)**

I grudgingly approached my locker to get ready to go home. Luckily, Yugi-tachi decided against staying after school today. That or they felt it would be better to not include me. Either way, I was going to go straight home, no exceptions. I've already come too close to ruining too many people's lives today. Thank you, but I'm going home to crawl in a hole and hopefully die.

Humph, if only I could be so lucky... I slammed my locker door as hard as I could manage, listening to the slight echo it caused in the empty hallway. Sighing, I made my way to the front of the building, battling with my bag to get the buckle to close. Admitting defeat, I unceremoniously slung it over my back as I made it through the front doors. I tugged at the sleeves of my sweater as the familiar sting of cold wind blew across me.

Note to self: wear something warmer than a sweater next time it snows.

I stood still for a moment, gathering my thoughts. After today, I'm giving up. As soon as I walk down these stairs, I'm going to forget all about him. First, I'll forget his coat. Then, I'll forget the way he'd touch my nose. And then someday, I'll forget the exact color of his eyes. As soon as I walk these steps, I'm leaving it all behind. I'm going to go back to the way I was and I'll have no regrets.

My name is Ryou Bakura. I have hurt the one person I care about the most in the world. And I have also hurt myself in the process. I have given up any chance for me to be happy in life just to become the one the world forgot... again. I have lost everything. And you know what? I have no regrets.

Taking a deep breath in, I took the first step down. Then another. And then another. Soon, I was at the bottom of the stairs, only one step left... Closing my eyes, I took the step that would start my life over.

"Ryou!"

Oh gods... It's okay, you can do this. I felt Yami try to say something through our link, but I quickly blocked it off. I don't have time for him right now. Suddenly, I felt solid ground under my foot. There, I did it.

It's over... But I don't feel any different.

"Ryou, please listen to me. Please. You don't understand. Just five minutes, that's all I ask..."

I kept walking. After all, that's what the new Ryou does. He gets over things without throwing a fit.

"Fine then, I'm going to have to do this the hard way..." I heard him stop at the top of the stairs, causing me to unconsciously slow down. Everything seemed so much more... _quiet _as the new Ryou. Before, every noise would trigger off some kind of paranoid string in my head, but now... Every thing was calm. I kept walking, trying to slowly forget everything. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be... I kept remembering things- _the movie, the chair, the Big Comfy Couch, the Crows, my jacket-_ everything came back again, despite my attempts to make it stop. Then, as if every single force in the universe was against me, it happened.

"Ryou Bakura, I Love You!"

I felt myself stop. I remember not wanting to stop, but I did anyways. I think the old Ryou had more control than the new Ryou did at the moment...

"What did you say?" I slowly turned to see _him _begin to hastily climb down the stairs two at a time. He walked straight towards me, ignoring the many appointed stares we were now collecting from other students.

"I love you, Ryou. There, I said it. I Love you!" he answered with a small trace of a smile on his face.

I shook my head as if it would help anything. "No, no you don't! You can't love me. I'm... me! You don't love me..." I felt tears reach my eyes, but I ignored them for once in my life. "Don't play with me like this. It isn't funny..."

"Who said I was playing?" he questioned softly. I shook my head once again and began to back away while also trying to ignore the many stares from the small crowd surrounding us. "Just listen to me please. Please just come and listen..."

"I-I... I don't want to."

"Please don't lie to me. Just come, please. After that, you can forget all about me and leave. I won't try to stop you. Just hear me out." he pleaded while slowly stepping closer to me. Suddenly, I felt the butterflies in my stomach once again as he rested his hands on my shoulder. "Please, I just want one more chance. I can't live knowing that I never tried to get you back. You're all that I need."

"Seto," he grinned at the use of his name. I leaned closer to him to make sure he could hear without the entire 'audience' hearing too. "We can't be together. I'm not right for you. And you know it... We wouldn't be able to stay together."

He shook his head at my statement, a grin still on his face. "Ryou, I can keep us together. I _promise._ As long as you would still have me, I will be right next to you no matter what. No matter what you try to say, I know we can do this. We're simply meant to be.(1)"

"We'll fight all the time and you'll always be at work and I'll be annoying and-" I was silenced by a finger placed over my mouth.

"I promised I would keep us together, didn't I? Why won't you believe me? Why won't you let me in? Look, I'm no longer a cold machine and you will never be forgotten again as long as I'm alive. Just accept this," he kissed the top of my head, "I love you." He looked down at me expectantly. I hate being under pressure... Oh wait, that's the old me. So the new me likes being under pressure? To hell with it... Another strong wind blew across us, cutting right through my sweater. I felt an involuntary shutter run through my body as I tried to ignore the stinging cold.

"Oh yeah," he dropped his suitcase lightly on the ground and pulled the blue trench coat off his body, "You forgot this yesterday. I knew you didn't have enough sense to wear another one so I thought I would bring it with," he explained while pulling the coat around my body. He smiled down at me once finished, "Besides, it looks much better on you. Come on, Ryou. Let's go, okay?" I nodded numbly even though the new Ryou in my head was telling me no. Oh well, I don't think I liked him much anyways.

"Seto?"

"Yes?"

"I love you,"

"I know."

(1) A line from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Like the best movie EVER. I say that for like every Tim Burton movie... I will stop talking now...

That sucks. I had to write two love confessions! TWO! I had enough trouble with one...And that's the end. Did I like it? Nope. Has that yet to stop me? Nope. Sorry it took so long, but Hurricane Ivan was being a bitch to my power and kept turning it off, the ass. And I'm _supposed _to be making a paper mache wildcat head for the school homecoming thing, but oh well, this is more important. First off, I want to thank every single person who read this. And then I want to give double thanks to every single person who reviewed this. I had so much fun on this. And I would also like to thank treana for pushing me into this. You know what? It wasn't that bad! But yeah...

Hmm, I can't decide on whether to do one of those little "what happened" chapter deals... any comments on that? I dunno... I'll probably have something out next week (I hope --; ) So keep an eye out!

Cain: Thank you everybody for all the lovely reviews we got! They were really great, from start to end!

I want to cry... I don't want it to end... It was so much fun! I'm so sad I could keel over and die! I think I will. I'll lay down on the floor and die! (dramatically falls out of chair)

Cain: O.O (looks over chair)

ragdoll: ... Ow... (twitch)

Goodbye everybody! We love you all! And reviews are nice!


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